Average high temperature and rainfall for Dominica in May. © Scott S. Bateman

Dominica weather in May brings warmer weather and a lot more rain than April.

This eastern Caribbean island, one of the wettest in the Caribbean, has heavy rainfall all year long. It’s just that some months have less rain than others. May isn’t one of those months.

Then why do eastern Caribbean cruises go to Dominica? They go because the island is conveniently located between Antigua and St. Lucia. The rain also makes Dominica a lush ecotourism destination with shore excursions to rivers, rainforests and waterfalls.

Average Dominica Temperatures in May

The average high temperature for Dominica in May is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or 29 Celsius, the Dominica Meteorological Service reports. The average low temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit or nearly 24 Celsius. It mostly occurs at night.

Temperatures on the shores are consistently warm throughout the year. They are somewhat cooler in the damp interior rainforests.

By comparison, daytime temperatures reach a low point of 82 degrees Fahrenheit or 28 Celsius in January. They hit a high point of about 87 degrees Fahrenheit or 31 Celsius in the summer months. So May temperatures are about midway between the highs and lows of the year.

Average Rainfall in May

Although Dominica is a wet island, it has more rain in May than previous months when rainfall jumps to an average of nearly nine inches, according to the Dominica Meteorological Service. That compares to only five inches in April.

May is a brief rainy season for many Caribbean islands, but they are likely to go from two to three inches in April to three to four inches in May. Dominica is rainier than nearly every major destination. May is not the best time to visit the island.

But nine inches isn’t nearly as bad as the island’s main rainy season and the annual Caribbean hurricane season. During the peak times, Dominica averages 12 inches of rain in September and nearly 15 in October and November.

• Dominica weather in January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

Should We Go in May?

Most people visit Dominica by cruise ship, so whether they go in May depends in part on how many cruise ships visit the island.

As a result of the heavy rains, cruise lines are less likely to visit Dominica in May. Anyone who wants to visit Dominica is better off going from February through April during the “dry” season.

Even then, there is a higher risk of rain than most Caribbean islands. But for Dominica, the risk is much lower than usual.