Average weather, temperature, rainfall, when to go, what to pack
The climate of Bonaire is
tropical, hot all year round, since the temperature fluctuates around 23 °C/25 °C (73 °F/77 °F) at night and around 29 °C/31 °C (84 °F/88 °F) during the day. The hottest and more sultry period runs from May to October. However, the north-east trade winds blow constantly, tempering the heat.
Bonaire is a Caribbean island, about a hundred kilometers (60 miles) north of the coast of Venezuela, and it's an official part of the Netherlands, like the neighbouring
Curaçao and
Aruba.
Here are the average temperatures of the capital, Kralendijk.
Kralendijk - Average temperatures| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Min (°C) | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 |
|---|
| Max (°C) | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
|---|
| Min (°F) | 73 | 73 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 77 | 75 | 73 |
|---|
| Max (°F) | 84 | 84 | 84 | 86 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 84 |
|---|
Being in the Leeward Antilles, the climate is also
sunny and dry, so much so that in a typical year, only 565 millimeters (22 inches) of rain fall, with a relatively rainy period between October and December, when, however, rainfall remains below 110 mm (4.3 in) per month. The rains, brought by the northeast trade winds, continue with some frequency also in January or mid-February.
Here is the average precipitation.
Kralendijk - Average precipitation| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Prec.(mm) | 50 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 95 | 105 | 95 | 565 |
|---|
| Prec.(in) | 2 | 1 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.8 | 1 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 22.2 |
|---|
| Days | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 72 |
|---|
The amount of
sunshine is good all year round, as can be seen in the following table.
Kralendijk - Sunshine| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Hours | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
|---|
Bonaire is a flat island, with a certain shortage of fresh water because of the lack of rivers.
The
sea in Bonaire is warm enough to swim in throughout the year: the water temperature ranges from a minimum of 26 °C (79 °F) in February and March, to a maximum of 29 °C (84 °F) in September and October. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Bonaire - Sea temperature| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Temp (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
|---|
| Temp (°F) | 81 | 79 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 82 | 81 |
|---|
Hurricanes
From June to November, but especially from August to October, there is the danger of tropical storms and
hurricanes: compared with the rest of the Caribbean, they are relatively rare at these latitudes, but it is not impossible that they reach the Leeward Antilles and Bonaire, as happened with Hurricane Irene in September 1971, Joan in October 1988, Bret (tropical storm) in August 1993, Ivan in September 2004, and Felix in September 2007.
Best Time
The best time to visit Bonaire runs from
mid-February to May. The period from May to October is sultry, even though the trade winds make the heat bearable. From October to December the rainfall is moderate, and sometimes the rains, though not excessive, linger on until January or mid-February.
What to pack
All year round: bring light tropical clothes, made of cotton or linen, possibly a light raincoat for thunderstorms, especially from October to January; those who are sensitive to cold can bring a light sweatshirt for the evening.
When going to the reef, you can bring snorkeling equipment, including water shoes or rubber-soled shoes.