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Rarotonga weather

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EuropeanECMWF
20°
Clear
Feels 17° · Wind 23 km/h · Humidity 62%
AmericanNOAA GFS
19°
Partly cloudy
Feels 16° · Wind 23 km/h · Humidity 57%
GermanDWD ICON
20°
Mainly clear
Feels 17° · Wind 20 km/h · Humidity 58%

Latest for Rarotonga: European (ECMWF): 20° Clear · American (NOAA GFS): 19° Partly cloudy · German (DWD ICON): 20° Mainly clear.

The weather map: all three models at once

European, American, German side by side around Rarotonga and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Hourly forecast: next 14 hours

consensus of the three models

Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model

each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side

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10-day forecast, out to 14 days

where the models agree, and where they split

Heading to Rarotonga? Rarotonga, Cook Islands, sits at 21.2°S in a tropical climate zone. Before you lock in outdoor plans, compare how the three global models - European (ECMWF), American (GFS) and German (ICON) - forecast Rarotonga right now. Where they agree you can trust it; the days they split are exactly when a single weather app is least reliable. For a beach trip the rain and wind columns below matter most - that is what makes or breaks a day by the sea.

Best time to visit Rarotonga

The most comfortable time to visit Rarotonga is usually January, February, March and May, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 24-33°C range and the heaviest April rain is behind you.

Rarotonga weather by month

what to expect in Rarotonga through the year, 1991-2020 averages

Here is Rarotonga's typical weather in each month: the average daytime high and overnight low in °C, how each month feels, and the wettest month marked. Use it to plan any trip to Rarotonga by season.

Jan
24°
23°
Warm
Feb
25°
24°
Warm
Mar
26°
23°
Warm
Apr
25°
23°
Warm
Wettest
May
24°
21°
Warm
Jun
22°
21°
Warm
Jul
22°
20°
Warm
Aug
21°
20°
Mild
Sep
21°
20°
Mild
Oct
21°
20°
Mild
Nov
22°
21°
Warm
Dec
23°
22°
Warm

Rarotonga compared with Sydney

30-year averages: daytime highs month by month, rain and sunlight

Warmer through the year

±0°C

average daytime high: Rarotonga 23°C, Sydney 23°C

Rain over a year

+247%

Rarotonga 3,986 mm, Sydney 1,148 mm

Sunlight vs a clear sky

77% vs 77%

solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day, averaged over the year (not sunshine hours)

RarotongaSydneyaverage daytime high, °C, 1991-2020
January, Sydney: 27°CJanuary, Rarotonga: 24°C (−3°C)February, Sydney: 28°CFebruary, Rarotonga: 25°C (−3°C)March, Sydney: 26°CMarch, Rarotonga: 26°C (±0°C)April, Sydney: 24°CApril, Rarotonga: 25°C (+1°C)May, Sydney: 22°CMay, Rarotonga: 24°C (+2°C)June, Sydney: 18°CJune, Rarotonga: 22°C (+4°C)July, Sydney: 18°CJuly, Rarotonga: 22°C (+4°C)August, Sydney: 20°CAugust, Rarotonga: 21°C (+1°C)September, Sydney: 22°CSeptember, Rarotonga: 21°C (−1°C)October, Sydney: 24°COctober, Rarotonga: 21°C (−3°C)November, Sydney: 25°CNovember, Rarotonga: 22°C (−3°C)December, Sydney: 27°CDecember, Rarotonga: 23°C (−4°C)

On 30-year averages Rarotonga runs 0°C warmer than Sydney, with every month between −4°C and +4°C. Over a year it gets 247% more rain than Sydney.

Month by month in numbers
MonthRarotongaSydneyDifferenceSunlight, RarotongaSunlight, Sydney
January24°C27°C−3°C76%75%
February25°C28°C−3°C77%73%
March26°C26°C±0°C78%75%
April25°C24°C+1°C77%77%
May24°C22°C+2°C75%79%
June22°C18°C+4°C77%74%
July22°C18°C+4°C77%80%
August21°C20°C+1°C77%82%
September21°C22°C−1°C78%82%
October21°C24°C−3°C78%77%
November22°C25°C−3°C76%74%
December23°C27°C−4°C75%74%

Daytime highs and lows on this page are 1991-2020 averages. Rarotonga: no weather station within 30 km at a similar height, so lows are ERA5 point values for 2023-2024, corrected month by month by NASA POWER's difference between those two years and 1991-2020, and highs are the uncorrected ERA5 values, which tested closer to station normals; rain is the CHELSA 1981-2010 climatology on a 1 km grid. Sydney: station normals from Sydney Observatory Hill (WMO), rain included. Sunlight vs a clear sky is NASA POWER's long-term average of the solar energy reaching the ground as a share of a cloudless day; it compares cloudiness and is not a count of sunshine hours. Sydney stands in for Australia here; other cities have their own climate tables.

Common questions

When is the best time to visit Rarotonga?
The most comfortable time to visit Rarotonga is usually January, February, March and May, when daytime highs sit in the pleasant 24-33°C range and the heaviest April rain is behind you.
Will it rain in Rarotonga during my trip?
Rain is where forecasts disagree most. Instead of trusting one app, the comparison above lines up the European, American and German models for Rarotonga - check your dates and look for the days they agree; those are the ones you can plan around.
Which forecast is most accurate for Rarotonga?
For destinations abroad we compare three open global models (ECMWF, GFS and ICON) and show you where they disagree, so you can judge the confidence yourself.
How much warmer is Rarotonga than Sydney?
On 30-year averages Rarotonga and Sydney have about the same daytime high, 23°C.

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