The climate in the Federated States of Micronesia

Climate zone: tropics

High humidity and hot temperatures make the weather in the Federated States of Micronesia pleasant at times but also tropical humid. It is warm to hot all year round, inviting bathing at average water temperatures of 27 degrees. The warmest and rainiest part of the country is Pohnpei. The coldest is Chuuk. Due to less rain, the best time for traveling is from February to March.

Temperature records of the last 76 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to June 2025 was reported by the Yap weather station. In March 2013, the record temperature of 39.6 °C was reported here. The hottest meteorological summer from June to August, based on all 2 weather stations in Micronesia , was recorded in 2016 with an average temperature of 28.6 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 27.6 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 31.8 °C.

The coldest day in these 76 years was reported by the Yap weather station. Here the temperature dropped to 17.2 °C in November 1999. Yap lies at an altitude of 15 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (December to February) was in 1993 with an average temperature of 26.8 °C. In Micronesia, it is usual to have about 0.7 degrees more at 27.5 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in February 2014. With 32.4 mm per day, the Chuuk weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 76 years.

Record months last year

We compared the record values of the past months with those of the same months in previous years. We used the same criteria to examine the respective maximum and minimum values in the categories of average temperature, precipitation, hours of sunshine and the maximum and minimum temperatures measured throughout the country. We have listed all measured values that have not been reached in the Federated States of Micronesia for 10 or more years.

• With 14.75 liters of precipitation in 2025, June was the wettest in 14 years (16.50 l/m² in 2011).
• With just 3.10 liters of precipitation in 2025, January was drier than it had been for 27 years (2.30 l/m² in 1998).
• With only 16.50 days of rain, it rained less in January 2025 than it has for 15 years (15.00 days in 2010).
• At 28.60°C, December 2024 was the warmest December in 11 years (28.70°C in 2013).
• At 28.75°C, November 2024 was the warmest November in 40 years (30.80°C in 1984).
• The highest temperature of 33.80°C reached in October 2024 was last seen in the same month 14 years ago (34.20°C in 2010).
• With 18.00 liters of precipitation in 2024, September was the wettest in 47 years (18.65 l/m² in 1977).
• At 28.75°C, August 2024 was the warmest August in 15 years (28.75°C in 2009).

The most recent months after June 2025 are not yet available here. We only calculate climatic comparisons after a large number of weather stations on a continent have checked and published their data.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1997 - 2024

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 2 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1997 to 2024, there were only these 2 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values (Chuuk, Yap). From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was April 2016 at 29.2 °C. August 1999 was the coldest month with an average temperature of 26.5 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 27.6 °C in the years after 1997 and about 28.2 °C in the last years before 2024. It has therefore increased only slightly by about 0.6 °C over the past 28 years. This trend only applies to the selected 2 weather stations in the Federated States of Micronesia. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level.

Difference between climate and weather
The weather is a snapshot at a specific point in time or over a short period of time. This page deals with the climate on the basis of average values over a long period of time - in our case the past 20 years. In addition, an entire country is covered here on the basis of 3 weather stations, representing not only the major cities but also remote areas at various elevations.