Labuan Bajo weather by month: rain, sun and sea

By Komodo 3D2N Editorial Desk

Labuan Bajo weather by month swings on rain, not heat. Weather2Travel averages show about 396 mm of rain in January against about 28 mm in July, and 22 rainy days in January against 1 in August and September. Daytime highs stay at 31 to 32 C all year, with the sea at 27 to 29 C.

What does Labuan Bajo weather by month look like?

The rainfall, rain-day and sun columns come from one source, Weather2Travel, whose climate page credits CRU, Met Office and Dutch data. They are averages, and they are not mixed with any other dataset. The last column adds notes from named publishers, kept apart from the averages, and a dash there means they add nothing for that month.

These measures barely change through the year, so Weather2Travel's range covers every month:

How does rain change through the year?

Rain is what actually varies. January's 396 mm is about 14 times July's 28 mm, and January's 22 days with some rain compares with one day in August and in September. If you remember one thing from this page, make it that difference, because temperature will not separate one month from another for you.

A "day with some rain" is a low bar. It means rain fell at some point, and not that the day was washed out, so 22 such days in January still leaves room for a dry morning on deck. The sun figures help fill in the picture: 5 hours a day in January and February against 9 in September and October. Even the wettest months have sun on the average day.

The landscape follows the rain. Lonely Planet calls December to March the short wet season, when hillsides turn green, and says dry months brown them. So the two ends of the calendar produce different photographs of the same hills at Padar, and neither is the wrong one. What rain means for your boat, and for sailing approvals, is a separate question, and the rainy season page takes it up.

The shoulders are where the table earns its place. December (298 mm, 19 days) and March (310 mm, 17 days) sit close to the January peak. April (154 mm, 11 days) and November (193 mm, 12 days) come in at roughly half that or less, and May (120 mm, 7 days) and October (99 mm, 4 days) step down again. June to September all stay at about 51 mm or below, with between one and five rainy days. Use these averages to compare months, not to forecast a week.

How hot does it get?

Here the sources conflict. Weather2Travel shows daytime highs of 31 to 32 C and night lows of 18 to 21 C through the year. Wikivoyage says the park is extremely hot and dry, over 40 C, during August and September. Those are very different claims about the same months, and this page will not average them.

One possible reading is that they measure different things: a long-run average of daily highs for a town, against a description of how a dry, exposed island can feel at midday. That is an interpretation, and neither source says so. In planning terms, treat 31 to 32 C as the typical air temperature and assume a walk up an exposed hillside in the dry months will feel hotter than that. Plan climbs for the cooler hours where your programme allows, and carry water.

The low end matters too. A night low of 18 to 21 C, if it holds on the water, can feel cool after a day of sun and swimming. One light layer in your bag solves it, and it takes up little room. The packing page covers the rest. A maximum UV index of 9 to 11 applies across the year, so plan for strong sun in the wet months as well as the dry ones.

How warm is the sea?

Weather2Travel shows sea temperature of 27 to 29 C, a two-degree spread across the whole year. On those averages, no month rules out swimming because of water temperature. What these numbers do not cover is what the sea is doing on top: waves, swell and current are absent from this dataset.

Sensitivity to cold varies from person to person, and a long drift can feel cooler than a short dip, so someone who chills easily may still want a thin top. For the reader weighing up months, though, sea temperature should be near the bottom of the list. Rain, wind and whether your boat is running will all matter more, and the best time page weighs those together.

Why do weather sources disagree?

Komodo Resort, an operator, says published rainfall figures for Labuan Bajo differ because of stations, periods and definitions, and gives about 2,300 mm a year. That is a reasonable explanation, and it means the operator's annual total should not be set against the Weather2Travel monthly figures as though they were one series. Use one dataset for comparing months and treat other numbers as a separate opinion.

Three habits will protect you from a bad number:

• Note which place a figure is for. Labuan Bajo town and an island in the park are different locations.
• Check the period. An average tells you about many past years, and it cannot tell you about next month.
• Check the definition. "Rainy day" means different things on different sites.

Averages also say nothing about whether your boat will sail. In the days before departure, a forecast and your operator's word are worth more than anything on this page, and no climate table should be read as a promise of weather. Weather Spark shows how much the dataset matters: it names February as the wettest month at about 8.8 inches and August as the driest at about 0.3 inches, where Weather2Travel's wettest is January and its driest is July.

What do travellers ask about the monthly weather?

How hot is Komodo in August?

Sources conflict. Weather2Travel shows daytime highs of 31 to 32 C across the year, while Wikivoyage says over 40 C in August and September. With two sources this far apart, plan water and shade around the higher number.

How many rainy days in Labuan Bajo?

Weather2Travel shows 22 days with some rain in January and 1 in both August and September. Those are averages from a single dataset, and a day counts if any rain falls.

How windy is Komodo in July?

This page has no monthly wind figure. Komodo Resort, an operator, says wind rather than rain is the main risk to a trip. For a July departure, ask your operator about the forecast in the days before sailing.

What is the weather like in Komodo in July?

Dry on the averages. Weather2Travel shows about 28 mm of rain for July at Labuan Bajo, with highs of 31 to 32 C across the year and a sea temperature of 27 to 29 C. A monthly average cannot predict any one day.

What is the sea like around Komodo in August?

Warm, at 27 to 29 C on Weather2Travel's all-year range. Komodo Resort says swell lands in the south during the dry season and the north in the wet season. No source here gives a wave height for August, so ask your operator.

Which sources support this page?

• Weather2Travel: Labuan Bajo climate
• Wikivoyage: Komodo National Park
• Komodo Resort: rainy season
• Lonely Planet: guide to Komodo National Park
• Weather Spark: Labuan Bajo climate

How do I reach the desk?

Have a specific week in mind? Ask on WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875 or by email. The desk can share what is published for that month. It cannot forecast the weather or say whether a boat will sail.