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| Moorea Coral Reef LTER Climate |
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The
weather in the Society Islands of French Polynesia can best be described as
tropical in nature with two distinct seasons; a cooler (19/25oC
low/high), drier winter between May and November and a hotter (21/29oC
low/high), more humid summer lasting from December through April. The most
persistent rainfall occurs during the summer months (approximately 230
cm/month); however, periods of extremely heavy rainfall can occur during the
drier
winter (approximately 123 cm/month). Winds in Moorea are dominated
by the southern tradewinds. Southeasterly winds blowing northward from the
southern oceans during the Polynesian winters can give rise to a mara
amu,
an unusually strong wind that brings much cooler temperatures and periods of
heavy rainfall to the islands. Moorea, like most of her sisters in the
Society Islands, lies outside of the Southern Pacific cyclone belt, but
occasionally the island does experience the effects of strong cyclones; most
recently in the early 1980s.
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Click here to see NOAA's current weather conditions for French Polynesia. |
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Click here to see Meteo France's current weather conditions for French Polynesia |
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