Caribbean Climate and Temperatures

Caribbean climate is highly predictable with temperatures and highly unpredictable with rain.

Most Caribbean temperatures average from the low 80s Fahrenheit during the winter months to the mid- to upper-80s Fahrenheit during the summer, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

However, cooler ocean waters during the winter make December through February less popular for Caribbean visitors, especially in the northern locations.

Northern destinations such as the Bahamas have cooler temperatures during the winter, while southern islands such as Aruba have warmer temperatures because it is much closer to the equator.

Rainfall varies through the Caribbean depending on the destination. Aruba is an arid island and therefore has little plant vegetation, while Dominica receives a lot of rain and is lush.

Many destinations see moderate rainfall from January through June, except for a short rainy season in May. Rain starts to climb during the summer as a result of the Caribbean hurricane season and usually reaches a high point for most places in September and October and sometimes in November as well.

Places that see especially high rainfall those months include:

• Belize
• Costa Rica
• Cozumel

See Caribbean cruise weather for a chart showing rainfall by month.

Caribbean climate is known for the annual hurricane season, which officially lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30 each year but which reaches peak activity in September and October. As a result, those months are the least popular times to vacation there.

The Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic face an average of 11 tropical storms or storms that become hurricanes each year, according to the National Hurricane Center at the National Weather Service.

Historically, August averages three tropical storms with two becoming hurricanes, September has four storms with two becoming hurricanes and October has two storms, of which one becomes a hurricane.