Two seasons, tempered by the trade winds

Météo-France describes a tropical, humid maritime climate, relatively tempered by the trade winds. Two seasons follow each other: from November to April a so-called warm season, the southern summer, which is wetter; from May to October a so-called cool season, the southern winter, which is less humid. The boundaries vary a little from one official page to the next: Météo-France’s home page puts the dry season from April to October and the rainy season from November to March, and its climate note on the Society archipelago keeps a core warm and wet season from December to March, a core cool and dry season from June to September, and transition periods in April–May and October–November.

The distinction does not apply strictly to every island: French Polynesia stretches from 7° to 28° south, and the Marquesas, the Australs and the Gambier each have their own rhythm, described below. The trade winds blow over the whole territory; in the Marquesas the archipelago is generally under this regime, and in the Society Islands the coasts exposed to the trade wind are the wettest.

The Society Islands: Tahiti, Moorea and the Leeward Islands

At Faa’a the annual mean temperature is 26 °C. The rainy season runs from November to April; December and January are the wettest months, March the warmest. The cool, dry season stretches from June to September. Tahiti Tourisme sums up the May to October season as sunny days, lower humidity and light breezes, and the November to April season as tropical showers and higher humidity, with December, January and February as the rainiest months; the water temperature is between 27 and 29 °C according to the same source, and the Direction de l’environnement gives 21 to 27 °C for the southern winter.

Météo-France’s note adds that El Niño episodes raise the risk of heavy rain and La Niña episodes the risk of drought. None of the pages consulted publishes monthly rainfall totals in millimetres or monthly maximum and minimum temperatures; Météo-France does publish a monthly climate bulletin on meteo.pf.

The Tuamotu

The 76 atolls of the Tuamotu have no relief, and the winds there are little disturbed; temperature variations are small. The rainy season runs from November to April, with the heaviest totals in December and January. According to Tahiti Tourisme, sunshine is especially abundant there, with nearly 3,000 hours of sun a year.

Rangiroa, Fakarava and Tikehau, the most visited atolls, follow this calendar: the driest period is the southern winter, from May to October. It is also the season when the Direction de l’environnement puts the water between 21 and 27 °C, which matters to divers doing one pass after another. The cyclone risk in the Tuamotu varies from year to year: for the 2019–2020 season, the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes rated it moderate for this archipelago.

The Marquesas

In the Marquesas, 1,500 km north-east of Tahiti, the seasons are little marked and temperatures stay warm all year. Météo-France places a warm, wet season there from January to August and a cooler season from September to December: the calendar is almost the reverse of the Society Islands, where the driest period is the southern winter. The archipelago is generally under the trade-wind regime.

For a trip to the Marquesas, the choice of month therefore weighs less than elsewhere; what matters more is the length of the stay and the days on which flights or the Aranui 5 call. For the 2019–2020 cyclone season, the Direction polynésienne des affaires maritimes judged the risk low in the Marquesas as in the Society Islands; this level is reassessed every year.

The Australs and the Gambier

The Australs, a 90-minute flight south-west of Tahiti, are the coolest archipelago: mean temperatures below 25 °C, high relative humidity, rain fairly evenly spread through the year, the lowest sunshine in the country and the strongest winds and swell. The Gambier have temperatures similar to those of Tubuai, rather cool, and relatively constant rain through the year; Tahiti Tourisme describes both archipelagos as more moderate than the Society Islands. The Gambier are one hour ahead of Papeete.

These islands are visited for their humpback whales, above all at Rurutu and Tubuai from August to October, for their crafts and their food crops; pack warmer clothes than for Tahiti during the southern winter. For the 2019–2020 season, the cyclone risk was rated high in the Australs, the highest level in the territory that year.

The cyclone season

Every year from November to April, French Polynesia is exposed to the cyclone risk, as the Haut-commissariat points out. From 1 November and throughout the season, Météo-France issues special bulletins, and the level of risk is announced archipelago by archipelago at the start of each season: for 2019–2020 it was low for the Society Islands and the Marquesas, moderate for the Tuamotu and high for the Australs. These levels change from year to year and are not to be read as a forecast for a given month.

Travelling between November and April remains common; it is the season of rain and of the highest temperatures. During this period the bulletins on meteo.pf and the Haut-commissariat’s instructions are the reference, and it is wise to keep some slack in a programme that strings several islands together.

Choosing your months

For the Society Islands and the Tuamotu, the southern winter, from May to October, combines the driest weather and the mildest temperatures; it is also the humpback whale season, the whales arriving in July and occupying the surroundings of the islands until the end of October according to the Direction de l’environnement, from July to November according to Tahiti Tourisme, with guided outings allowed only from 20 July to 20 November. The Heiva i Tahiti, Papeete’s festival of song and dance, is held every July, from 2 to 18 July in 2026.

From November to April it is warmer and more humid, showers are more frequent, above all from December to February, and the cyclone risk exists; the transition months, April–May and October–November, sit between the two. For the Marquesas, prefer September to December, the least rainy season, and for the Australs, August to October if you come for the whales. This site publishes neither monthly averages nor rainfall totals, as no official page gives them; the monthly climate bulletin of Météo-France Polynésie française remains the reference.

What we verify for your dates

Timetables, provider conditions, entry rules, weather-sensitive activities and commercial terms are rechecked for the actual trip. This article explains the planning logic; it is not a live availability promise.

Request a trip

Sources

Reviewed against its sources

Polynesia Local editorial desk · sources cited on every entry · 20 October 2026