Turks and Caicos water temperatures are comfortable during the summer but might be a bit cool during the winter. Credit: Turks and Caicos Tourist Board

Turks & Caicos islands may lie at the northern end of the Caribbean Sea, but they don’t suffer at all from cold winter temperatures that plague the Bahamas, the U.S. and Canada.

High temperatures range between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 29-32 degrees Celsius from late spring to early fall and average in the low 80s or 27-29 degrees Celsius for the rest of the year.

The average low temperatures, which occur mainly at night, sometimes will reach down into the upper 60s during winter months.

It is important to know that these high and low temperatures along with a constant trade wind have a great impact on water temperatures for people who love the ocean and lounging on Turks and Caicos white sand beaches.

During the summer, water temperatures average about 82 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Turks & Caicos Tourist Board. They decline to between 74 and 78 degrees during the winter months.

Water temperatures will be cooler during the morning and warmer in the afternoon. Morning temperatures combined with the trade wind may make swimming uncomfortable during the winter months.

Rainiest Months

Grand Turk and South Caicos average about 21 inches of rain per year, which is fairly low by Caribbean standards, while the western islands average closer to 40 inches, according to the tourist board.

The time of year makes a big difference in the odds of getting low rain or a lot of it.

The annual Caribbean hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. It starts slowly in early summer and gradually increases in activity—tropical storms and occasional hurricanes—until it reaches a peak in September and October.

Historical data isn’t available for Turks & Caicos, but it is available for nearby Great Inaugua island, which is the southernmost island of the Bahamas chain and located only 83 miles west of Providenciales.

Data from 30 years of weather patterns shows that the islands average only about one to two inches of rain for most months of the year.

One exception is May, which is a brief rainy season typical for many Caribbean Islands. Total rainfall increases to about three inches.

Rainfall doesn’t increase much again until it averages another three inches in September, hits a high point of five inches in October and declines to three inches again in November.

It usually rains between four and six days a month throughout most of the year except for seven days in September, 10 days in October and eight days in November.

The Turks & Caicos Tourist Board says the islands average 350 days of sunshine a year, although that total usually means some sun during the day rather than sunshine the entire day.

Anyone planning to visit Turks & Caicos will want to avoid October because of the higher risk of rainfall and concentrate if possible on going there during months with a combination of higher temperatures and lower risk of rain. Those months include March, April and June through August.

People who are willing to take a chance should consider last-minute vacations when the forecast calls for good weather one to two weeks ahead.