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Average Caribbean Rainfall by Month

© 2020 Scott S. Bateman

The Caribbean clearly has a dominant rainy season for almost the entire region, but it also has several smaller rainy seasons for individual destinations.

That’s why it makes sense for anyone planning a Caribbean vacation to look at the monthly rainfall averages not only for the entire region but for individual destinations as well.

When is the Caribbean Rainy Season?

The Caribbean rainy season goes from June 1 through Nov. 30, which is the same time period of the official Caribbean hurricane season. But it doesn’t mean that heavy rains fall throughout the region and on every island each month.

The chart to the right shows average rainfall for nearly 20 destinations with an average for each month at the bottom. The information comes from 30 years of historical data from the World Weather Organization and individual meteorological services for each of the countries.

It clearly shows that September and October have the highest amounts of rain for the year, followed by August and November.

But individual destinations such as Aruba and Curacao barely average one to two inches in August and September, which proves that not every island gets hit the same.

The average for all destinations for the entire year is four inches a month. That’s another reason why the Caribbean hurricane and rainy seasons have about the same timeframes—June through November when each month averages five or more inches.

Note that some destinations have a second brief rainy season in May when the average rainfall spikes a bit.

10-Day Weather Forecasts | See Caribbean monthly weather in: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

6 Destinations with Long Rainy Seasons

If five or more inches is the starting point, the place with the longest rainy season is Dominica—lasting 10 months from March through December.

Martinique goes nine months from May through January.

San Juan goes eight months from May through December. Belize also goes eight months from June through January.

Costa Rica and the Cayman Islands go seven months from May through November.

2 Destinations with No Rainy Seasons

Tropical Storm Emily
Tropical storm Emily passes over the Caribbean in early August.

Aruba and Curacao on average don’t see more than three inches of rain in any single month and more often than not see only one or two inches.

The ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are located off the Venezuelan coasts and are known as the most arid islands in the Caribbean.

Aruba in particular is popular both for its low risk of rain and other attractions such as great beaches, shopping and dining.

Although the odds of good weather are high throughout the entire year, the ABC islands do occasionally feel the effects of storms and hurricanes that pass through the Caribbean. So it is wise to use some caution if considering a vacation there in September or October.

Brief Wet Season in May

Some destinations see a brief jump in rain during May, which may discourage some visitors from going there at that time of the year.

May is often a great month to go to the Caribbean because children are still in school, crowds are fewer and temperatures are warm but not too hot.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that Antigua, Cancun, Dominica, Dominican Republic, San Juan and St. Maarten all experience higher rainfall on average in May than they do in April or June.

The amount of visitors to the Caribbean drops steeply during September and October because it is well-known that rainfall climbs during those months.

But it is not as well-known that individual destinations can vary quite a bit from month to month. So researching the weather averages by month will improve the chances of getting good weather.