Moorea (Mo'orea) weather in December
December in Moorea: hot, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 22 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#10 of 12 months in Moorea · #711 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 71/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 28°C
- Nights
- 24°C
- Wet days
- 22
- Sun
- 10.2 h
- Humidity
- 83%
- Daylight
- 13 h

Traveller notes on Moorea in December
Notes from nearby Papeete (28 km away)
Moorea doesn't have its own notes for December yet — these are about Papeete, close enough to share the season.
Tahiti-forum threads on whether December is a good month are mixed but leaning positive: it sits in the warmer, more humid half of the year with a real chance of rain most days, but posters are quick to add that a typical day still mixes in real sunshine around any showers rather than being washed out entirely. One visitor's whole December trip logged barely ten minutes of rain total; another found it a touch warmer and more humid than the July-August peak season but still called the visit lovely regardless. The standing framing across threads is that May through October is the more reliable stretch overall, but December remains genuinely workable provided a visitor picks the specific region or itinerary with a bit of care rather than assuming uniform conditions everywhere. The record: 31.5C days feeling like a punishing 36C, 24.9C nights, a notably high 294mm across 23.7 days, 84 percent humidity, a 28.3C sea and 10.3 hours of sun - wetter than the mixed-but-positive framing suggests.
Other months in Moorea
Moorea-forum threads asking if February is still worth a visit land on yes, though posters are candid it's historically the rainiest, most humid stretch of the year. A typical two-week stay tends to break down as one or two genuinely rainy days, one or two mostly cloudy, and the rest split between partly and mostly sunny, so a full washout trip is called rare even in the wettest month. Outcomes do swing wildly year to year - some visitors get two straight weeks of sun, others catch a passing cyclone, and posters are honest nobody can predict which in advance. The island's hills create real microclimates, rain falling on the higher ground while the beach stays clear the same afternoon. Showers themselves are brief, isolated tropical bursts that move through and clear rather than settling in. The record: 28.4C days feeling like a punishing 32C, 23.8C nights, a notably high 273mm across 19 days, 82 percent humidity, a 28.7C sea and wind averaging nearly 27 km/h.
Moorea-forum threads on November weather agree it marks the start of the rainy season, but posters are consistent that the label overstates the actual experience: when rain does show up it rarely lasts, and the heat that follows clears it up fast, leaving plenty of hot, sunny stretches with puffy clouds and the occasional rainbow. One account logged rain every single day of a five-night stay, yet never called it a washout - the pattern was a reliable thirty-to-forty-five-minute afternoon shower rather than a lost day. Conditions can also split by coast, one side staying clear while the other gets a passing shower, worth simply moving to whichever side has better weather that afternoon. Visitors who've gone around Thanksgiving week specifically call the weather great rather than a compromise. The record: 27.4C days feeling like 30C, 23.1C nights, 207mm across 18.5 days, 82 percent humidity, a 27.5C sea and wind averaging nearly 27 km/h.
Moorea-forum threads on January rainfall agree it sits at the heart of the South Pacific wet season, but regulars are consistent that the rain itself doesn't ruin days: showers arrive in short, quick-moving bursts, mostly in the afternoon or evening, similar to the pattern Hawaii visitors will recognize, leaving mornings clear and sunny more often than not. One long-running thread notes weather moves in three-to-four day cycles, so a week-plus stay should see a real mix rather than one washed-out trip. When the sun is fully out, posters warn it runs genuinely intense, humidity described as wilting by midday. The trade-off for the wetter season is thinner crowds and softer prices than the July-through-September peak. The record: 28.3C days feeling like a sticky 32C, 23.5C nights, a notably high 302mm across 22.4 days, 82 percent humidity, a 28.5C sea and 9.6 hours of sun - the wettest entry on Moorea's whole calendar, matching the wet-season framing closely.
Society Islands-forum threads on May weather (the numbers track Moorea directly) call it one of the best times of year to go - still low season, so lighter crowds, but with genuinely wonderful weather since the rainy season proper runs late November through March and May sits comfortably outside it, at the start of the dry season that carries through October. When showers do pass through, mostly in the afternoon, posters say they clear quickly rather than settling in. One specific trip report spanning late April into mid-May found it very nice and not too humid, with lots of sun and only two showery days near the very end of the stay. The record: 28C days feeling like 30C, 23.3C nights, 94mm across 14.6 days, a 28.6C sea, 80 percent humidity and 9.8 hours of sun.
Add your own note from Moorea's card on the map.
Moorea climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Moorea in December
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Quietschool holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Moorea's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherMoorea's weather peaks July–September, best around August.
December coincides with Cyclone season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Moorea in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Hazard
Cyclone season
1 Nov – 30 AprThe wet half of the year is also the cyclone window in the Society Islands. Direct hits are rare, and the more common effect is a week of heavy rain and a cancelled ferry. Source ↗
- Season
Wet season
MonsoonRisk22 rainy days and about 270 mm in the month — the real kind of rainy season, not afternoon showers.
from the climate normals
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Moorea — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Moorea?
Moorea in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Moorea?
- December in Moorea: hot, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 22 rainy days. It ranks #10 of 12 months for Moorea on SeasonMap's comfort score (71/100).
- What is the weather like in Moorea in December?
- In December, Moorea averages a daily high of 28.1°C and a low of 23.5°C, with about 269.5 mm of rain over roughly 22.1 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Moorea in December?
- Moorea has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 29 in December.
Within 300 km: Bora Bora's Christmas and New Year peak on 18 Dec – 6 Jan.