Palau and Yap Weather in late September

I am heading to Palau and Yap in late September. I know that this is the rainier season there, but exactly how rainy is it? Does the season mean the difference between clear/sunny days and overcast/rainy days? Was also considering diving (first time). How seriously would such plans be affected?

Should we consider rescheduling our trip and going elsewhere?

When you dive you are underwater. IE-wet. So, not a big deal. Usually the rain comes in hard, and goes away reasonably quickly.

Weather in Micronesia no longer follows the traditional patterns. It will almost certainly rain a part of many days, but I wouldn't let the old patterns worry me a lot. Last year we went in August, and it had been raining for most of the previous 4 months. We lucked out and had reasonable weather. So, no, do not reschedule your trip, and have a wonderful time. We were there for 2 years, and the most I remember about "weather patterns" were the direction of the winds. I am not fond of the trade winds, so never looked forward to that time of year- Jan, if I remember correctly. Others love the wind, so there is no accounting for taste.

The only problem with diving for the first time in Palau is that you will be mostly spoiled forever and rarely find other places that will be as nice. Have a wonderful time.

It rains in the tropics, in Palau about 150 inches per year. Does it distract you? Very little, as 5Waldos notes rains like hell for a brief period and then it's gone. I was there in February and March and a lot of the rain occured at night and in the early hours of the morning. It will have little affect on your ability to dive or do other activities in Palau.

Papa Mike
Papa Mike's Palau Handbook

5Waldos and PapaMike: You guys are very helpful on this board of course, but your advice this time was off the mark. While true that it may have been bad luck and not because we were there in September (the patterns being more erratic of late), we ended up having pretty lousy weather for our entire stay in Palau. Not only did cloudy days (cloudy almost all the time for a week straight I believe) reduce the amount of light available for seeing things underwater, but the surface action of the water stopped the dive shops from taking us to the best/most popular dive sites, and we were unable to go to, e.g., Blue Corner during our stay.

Really sorry you had bad weather- but that does happen. It could happen at any time of the year. And most times what we advised is true. But it is the tropics and the weather is unpredictable. It could have happened in May or Jan too. If you have just returned, then you unfortunately were there when several storms were forming in the area. If you had gone about a week after the storms had moved on, the weather would have been very different.