Climate Change Chart of Nukuʻalofa, Tonga

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +0.67 °C in the more recent reference period. This describes the average of the monthly means, not a day-weighted annual figure or a change shared by every month; monthly means also do not indicate daytime maximum temperatures. The largest monthly increase was in January, with a difference of +1.00 °C. It identifies the strongest increase among the supplied monthly comparisons, rather than establishing a continuous trend.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall averaged across calendar months increased by +0.70 mm/day. This is an average difference across monthly means, not a change applying to every month, and the daily amounts should not be read as monthly totals. The largest monthly increase was in February, at +5.81 mm/day; by contrast, September had the largest monthly decrease, with a difference of -1.71 mm/day. These opposing monthly differences show why the overall average does not describe each month's rainfall pattern.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration averaged across calendar months decreased by -0.15 hours/day. The strongest monthly decrease was in February, with a difference of -0.79 hours/day, while July recorded the largest increase, at +0.30 hours/day. These are differences in monthly average daily hours, not a guarantee of the sunshine on any particular day.