Apia, the capital of Samoa, sits on the northern coast of the island of Upolu in the South Pacific, on a narrow coastal plain backed by volcanic peaks at approximately -13.83°S, 171.77°W. It has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — hot, humid and rainy year-round, cooled by the trade winds — and it lies in the cyclone belt.

The warm, wet season, from November to April — the austral summer — is hot and humid, with highs around 30–31°C and warm nights. This is when the heaviest rain falls, in frequent downpours and thunderstorms, and it coincides with the South Pacific cyclone season, when tropical cyclones can strike the islands with destructive winds and torrential rain.

The cooler, drier season, from May to October — the austral winter — brings slightly lower temperatures, with highs around 29–30°C and comfortable nights near 23–24°C, cooled by the steady southeast trade winds. Rain is reduced but never absent; this breezier, brighter stretch is comfortably the best time of year.

Apia is very wet, receiving on the order of 2,800–3,000 mm of rain a year, with substantial rain in every month and a strong wet-season peak from December to March; the volcanic interior of Upolu receives considerably more. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Apia lies in the South Pacific cyclone belt, and its low coastal position leaves it exposed both to cyclones between November and April and to tsunami — the 2009 Samoa earthquake sent waves inland along this coast. The steady trade winds otherwise keep the tropical heat comfortable year-round.

To follow any single measurement in Apia more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.