Lae climate — normals and trends
Lae (Papua New Guinea) has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 24.5 °C and it receives 5,975 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is January (25.3 °C on average) and the coldest is August (23.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in April.
Lae averages 0 frost days, 1 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 292 rainy days per year.
Lae has warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.12 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The hottest day of the period reached 32.3 °C (on 9 March 1997) and the coldest 18.4 °C (on 13 August 1953).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
LaeMorobe Province
- coords
- -6.72°, 147.00°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
24.5°C
Average daily high
26.2°C
Average daily low
23.2°C
Annual rainfall
5,975mm
Sunshine / day
8.4h
Mean relative humidity
84%
Average peak wind
8.9km/h
Seasonal range
1.8°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
0 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
1 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
292 d/yr
Annual snowfall
0.0 cm
Average feels-like high
31.1 °C
Average feels-like low
27.0 °C
Average peak gust
23.4 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
365 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.3 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.0 °C
since 1940
+0.1 °C per decade · r² = 0.70 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
32.3 °C
9 March 1997
Coldest day
18.4 °C
13 August 1953
Wettest day
334 mm
29 April 2016
Windiest day
21.7 km/h
7 July 1990
Strongest gust
59.0 km/h
21 February 2017
Hottest feels-like
38.2 °C
13 March 2016
Coldest feels-like
20.1 °C
13 August 1953
Sunniest day
12.3 h
24 January 2009
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.1 °C | +0.9 °C | 533 mm | +54 mm |
| Feb | 28.1 °C | +0.8 °C | 725 mm | +289 mm |
| Mar | 27.3 °C | +0.3 °C | 596 mm | +23 mm |
| Apr | 27.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 547 mm | -123 mm |
| May | 27.1 °C | +1.0 °C | 506 mm | -26 mm |
| Jun | 26.2 °C | +0.7 °C | 483 mm | +4 mm |
| Jul | 26.2 °C | +1.2 °C | 302 mm | -149 mm |
| Aug | 25.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 489 mm | +29 mm |
| Sep | 25.9 °C | +0.5 °C | 618 mm | +235 mm |
| Oct | 26.9 °C | +0.9 °C | 344 mm | -70 mm |
| Nov | 26.8 °C | +0.2 °C | 522 mm | +44 mm |
| Dec | 27.4 °C | +0.5 °C | 805 mm | +186 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Lae?
Lae has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 24.5 °C and it receives 5,975 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lae?
The hottest day measured in Lae between 1940 and 2025 was 9 March 1997, reaching 32.3 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lae?
The coldest day measured in Lae between 1940 and 2025 was 13 August 1953, at 18.4 °C.
Does it snow in Lae?
Almost never: Lae sees virtually no snow, with about 0 frost days per year.
Has the climate of Lae warmed?
Yes: Lae warmed by +1.0 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lae?
The wettest day measured in Lae between 1940 and 2025 was 29 April 2016, with 334 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lae?
The windiest day measured in Lae between 1940 and 2025 was 7 July 1990, with winds reaching 21.7 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lae?
The warmest month in Lae is January (25.3 °C on average); the coldest is August (23.5 °C).
How much does it rain in Lae?
Lae receives on average 5,975 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 292 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lae?
Lae gets on average 8.4 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,066 hours per year over 1940-2025.
Are there tropical nights in Lae?
Yes: Lae has on average 365 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lae?
In Lae, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 38.2 °C on 13 March 2016, and the lowest was 20.1 °C on 13 August 1953.
Compare Lae with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lae