Weather in Komodo & Lesser Sunda Islands

The climate of Komodo is fairly hot and dry with a short rainy season that lasts from January to April. The island receives an average rainfall of about 800 to 1000 mm annually. The Komodo National Park receives the least amount of rain in Indonesia. It experiences a very short spell of rain in January.

The effects of the long spell of dry weather are evident in the species of flora and fauna native to the region. The hot dry southeast trade winds originating from Australia sweep across the island from April to October. The wet northwest monsoon winds blow across the island in January and February. These winds from Asia lose most of their moisture over western Indonesia and are rather dry by the time they reach the park.

The temperature in Komodo reaches a maximum of 43 °C during the period from April through October, and drops to a minimum of 17 °C in August.

Lesser Sunda Islands

In complete contrast to the climate of Komodo, the climate of the Lesser Sunda Islands is tropical like the rest of Indonesia. It has a distinct wet and dry season. The wet season generally lasts from November to March while the dry season lasts from April to October. Although this is the general weather pattern, the transition periods between the seasons can change now and then because of changes in the local or larger weather patterns.

The daytime temperatures are a pleasant 20 °C (68 °F) to a warm 33 °C (93 °F) throughout the year. The moisture laden western monsoon winds cause heavy rains from December to March. Most of the showers however, occur during the night leaving the days dry and sunny. June to September is the dry season characterized by cool evenings. The coastal areas receive almost no rain during this period.