Average Caribbean temperatures vary little in the southern and western regions, but they vary quite a bit in the east.
The eastern region usually includes the Bahamas for the sake of eastern Caribbean cruises, even though the Bahamas aren't actually located in the Caribbean Sea.
But they share a great deal with the rest of the Caribbean. The same is true of Bermuda, which lies even more north of the Bahamas.
The chart below shows historical high temperatures by month for many major Caribbean destinations.
| Caribbean Temperature Chart | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Avg | |
| Antigua | 82 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 85 |
| Aruba | 86 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 89 |
| Bahamas | 77 | 77 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 89 | 88 | 85 | 82 | 79 | 84 |
| Barbados | 83 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 85 |
| Belize | 82 | 82 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 82 | 86 |
| Bermuda | 69 | 68 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 81 | 85 | 86 | 84 | 79 | 75 | 71 | 76 |
| Cancun | 82 | 83 | 85 | 88 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 87 |
| Cayman Is | 87 | 86 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 87 | 89 |
| Costa Rica | 83 | 75 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 78 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 74 | 77 |
| Cozumel | 83 | 84 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 87 |
| Curacao | 85 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 86 | 88 |
| Dominica | 82 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 85 |
| Dominican Rep. | 81 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 82 | 85 |
| Havana | 78 | 79 | 81 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 87 | 84 | 81 | 79 | 84 |
| Honduras | 78 | 81 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 83 | 82 | 83 | 83 | 81 | 78 | 77 | 82 |
| Guadeloupe | 84 | 84 | 84 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 87 |
| Jamaica | 82 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 85 |
| Martinique | 82 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 85 |
| San Juan | 83 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 83 | 87 |
| St. Lucia | 87 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 87 |
| Trinidad | 87 | 88 | 90 | 91 | 91 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 89 |
| St. Maarten | 82 | 83 | 83 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 85 |
A few destinations are worth noting.
Temperatures in the southern Caribbean are slightly warmer during the winter, which is why Aruba, Barbados, Curacao and other nearby islands are popular during that time of year.
Trade winds create a wind chill factor in the Caribbean like everywhere else. The winds are strongest coming from the east.
As a result, it is wise to consider staying in a hotel, villa or resot on the eastern side of a destination during the summer and the western side during the winter if the winter location is cooler than most.