Barbados - The climate in short
In Barbados, the easternmost of the West Indies, there's a tropical climate, hot and humid all year round, a bit cooler and more pleasant from December to April, and more hot and muggy from May to October. However, the heat is tempered by the breezes.
Along the coast, annual rainfall amounts to 1,200/1,400 millimeters (47/55 inches), while it's slightly more abundant in inland areas (though not by much, since there are no high elevations that could force air masses to rise). Normally, the rainiest period is from July to November, and the driest from February to April.
The rains are quite irregular from month to month, which means that even in the rainy season, the weather may be good for entire weeks. Sometimes, however, there may be a more intense wave of bad weather.
The climate in detail
Bridgetown
In the capital,
Bridgetown, temperatures vary by about 2 degrees Celsius (3.5 °F) from winter to summer.
The cold record is 16.5 °C (61.5 °F), set in January 1984, while the heat record is 33 °C (91.5 °F), set in September 2005.
Here are the average temperatures.
Bridgetown - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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| January | 23.3 | 29.1 | 26.2 | 74 | 84 | 79.2 |
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| February | 23 | 29.2 | 26.1 | 73 | 85 | 79 |
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| March | 23.4 | 29.7 | 26.6 | 74 | 85 | 79.8 |
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| April | 24.2 | 30.2 | 27.2 | 76 | 86 | 81 |
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| May | 25 | 30.6 | 27.8 | 77 | 87 | 82 |
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| June | 25.2 | 30.7 | 28 | 77 | 87 | 82.3 |
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| July | 25.1 | 30.7 | 27.9 | 77 | 87 | 82.2 |
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| August | 24.8 | 30.9 | 27.8 | 77 | 88 | 82.1 |
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| September | 24.8 | 31 | 27.9 | 77 | 88 | 82.2 |
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| October | 24.7 | 30.8 | 27.8 | 76 | 87 | 82 |
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| November | 24.5 | 30.3 | 27.4 | 76 | 87 | 81.3 |
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| December | 23.9 | 29.6 | 26.8 | 75 | 85 | 80.2 |
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| Year | 24.3 | 30.2 | 27.25 | 75.8 | 86.4 | 81 |
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In Bridgetown, rainfall reaches or exceeds 100 mm (4 in) per month from June to November; the wettest period runs from September to November, with around 165/180 mm (6.5/7 in) of rain per month, while the driest runs from February to April, when rainfall drop to 40/60 mm (1.6/2.4 in) per month. Here is the average precipitation.
Bridgetown - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 70 | 2.8 | 11 |
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| February | 40 | 1.6 | 9 |
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| March | 40 | 1.6 | 8 |
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| April | 60 | 2.4 | 8 |
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| May | 75 | 3 | 8 |
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| June | 100 | 3.9 | 11 |
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| July | 120 | 4.7 | 15 |
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| August | 150 | 5.9 | 16 |
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| September | 165 | 6.5 | 13 |
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| October | 180 | 7.1 | 15 |
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| November | 175 | 6.9 | 14 |
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| December | 90 | 3.5 | 11 |
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| Year | 1260 | 49.6 | 139 |
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The rains in Barbados occur especially in the form of
downpours or thunderstorms, which could be intense, but generally do not last long, so they do not reduce too much the sunshine hours.
In fact, the amount of
sunshine is good all year round, as can be seen in the following table.
Bridgetown - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 8.5 | 265 | February | 9 | 250 | March | 9 | 275 | April | 8.5 | 260 | May | 8.5 | 265 | June | 7.5 | 225 | July | 8 | 250 | August | 8.5 | 260 | September | 8 | 235 | October | 7.5 | 240 | November | 7.5 | 230 | December | 8 | 255 | Year | 8.2 | 3005 |
Sea temperature
The sea in Barbados is warm enough to swim in all year round, as we can see from the following table.
Bridgetown - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
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January | 27 | 81 | February | 26.5 | 80 | March | 26.5 | 80 | April | 27 | 81 | May | 27.5 | 82 | June | 28 | 82 | July | 28 | 83 | August | 28.5 | 83 | September | 29 | 84 | October | 29 | 84 | November | 28.5 | 83 | December | 27.5 | 82 | Year | 27.8 | 82.1 |
Hurricanes
Barbados may be affected by tropical storms and cyclones, which are called
hurricanes in the Caribbean, and can affect this area from June to November, although they are more likely from August to October.
Barbados is located outside of the Caribbean Sea basin, and also quite to the south, so it is generally affected by tropical depressions when they are not very strong, at the level of a tropical storm or of a low-category hurricane (1 or 2). However, some hurricane in the past have brought significant damage, as happened with the "Windward Islands Hurricane" of September 1898, with Hurricane Janet in late September 1955, Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, and Hurricane Dean in August 2007.
When to go
The best time to travel to Barbados is from
February to April, since it is the least rainy of the year, but after all, also December and January are acceptable months, with a few more showers.
In May, heat and moisture increase, but the rains are still not too abundant, and it's still out of the hurricane season.
What to pack
All year round: bring light clothes made of cotton or linen, a sun hat, sunscreen, and possibly a light sweatshirt and a light raincoat for thunderstorms. From December to March, you can add a light sweatshirt for the evening.
When going to the reef, you can bring snorkeling equipment, including water shoes or rubber-soled shoes.
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