The climate of the Marquesas Islands: when to go

The climate of the Marquesas islands is sub-tropical, the prevailing winds greatly influence the climate, bringing precipitation along the southern and eastern coasts of the islands, which are covered with abundant tropical vegetation, while the north-western coasts receive little rain and are semi arid.

Despite their position very close to the equator, the Marquesas are quite dry by the standard of equatorial islands. Unlike the other islands of French Polynesia, most of the rains occur in the cooler months, between May and July, while the driest months are between September and November.

The southernmost islands are rainier, while the northernmost ones are more arid. The annual average rainfall is around 1,300 mm, but can vary according to the years and between one island and another between 500 mm and 2,800 mm. The Marquesas islands are outside the hurricane area, therefore the probability that the islands can be hit by tropical cyclones is very low.

Temperatures are moderate due to the constant blowing of the trade winds. The maximum average temperatures remain constant throughout the year between 31 ° C and 28 ° C. While the average minimum temperatures vary between 24 ° C and 22 ° C.

Sea water temperatures in the Marquesas Islands are stable all year round between 29 ° C and 27 ° C.

WHEN TO GO TO THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS?

The best time to visit the Marquesas islands are the least rainy months between August and December.

THE CLIMATE OF THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS: CLIMATE TABLE

HIVA OA, MARQUESAS ISLANDS (52 meters)
Month	Average low (°C)	Average high (°C)	Precip. (mm)	Precip. days
January	23	30	114
February	24	31	91
March	24	31	137
April	24	31	117
May	24	29	122
June	23	29	175
July	23	28	122
August	23	28	100
September	23	29	81
October	23	29	79
November	23	30	66
December	23	30	89
YEAR	23	29	1293

HIVA OA, MARQUESAS ISLANDS
Month	Sea Water Temperature °C
January	28
February	28
March	28
April	29
May	28
June	28
July	28
August	27
September	27
October	27
November	28
December	28