Average weather, temperature, rainfall, when to go, what to pack
The climate of the Cayman Islands is
tropical, hot and humid all year round, with a dry and relatively cool season from late November to mid-April, in which the northeast trade winds blow, and a rainy and muggy season from late April to early November.
The three Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac), are located in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba, and belong to the British crown; the capital is George Town.
Precipitation amounts to about 1,400 millimetres (55 inches) per year, and the rainiest months are September and October.
Here is the average precipitation in George Town.
George Town - Average precipitation| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|
| Prec.(mm) | 50 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 150 | 160 | 145 | 150 | 220 | 220 | 155 | 70 | 1425 |
|---|
| Prec.(in) | 2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 5.9 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 56.1 |
|---|
| Days | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 123 |
|---|
During the rainy season, the maximum
temperature is around 32 degrees Celsius (90 °F), and moisture makes the heat sweltering, although sea breezes give some relief. Rainfall occurs mainly in the form of showers and thunderstorms in the evening, which is typical of many countries having a tropical climate, so there is still a fairly good amount of sunshine, as can be seen in the following table.
George Town - Sunshine| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Hours | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
|---|
In
winter, temperatures in the Caymans are lower than in summer, but they are still high enough for swimming and sun bathing. However, from December to March the islands can sometimes be affected by cool winds from the United States, which can lower the night temperature below 20 °C (68 °F).
Here are the average temperatures.
George Town - Average temperatures| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Min (°C) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
|---|
| Max (°C) | 28 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
|---|
| Min (°F) | 68 | 68 | 68 | 72 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 70 |
|---|
| Max (°F) | 82 | 84 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 86 | 84 |
|---|
The sea is warm all year round, not going below 27 °C (81 °F), as we can see from the following table.
Cayman - Sea temperature| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
| Temp (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
|---|
| Temp (°F) | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 82 | 82 |
|---|
Hurricanes
Every now and then the islands can be hit by
hurricanes, the tropical cyclones of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. The hurricane season runs from June to November, but the period in which they are most likely runs from August to October. The archipelago was hit hard by the «Jamaica Hurricane» in August 1903, by the «Cuba Hurricane» in November 1932, by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, and by Hurricane Paloma in November 2008.
When to go
The best time to visit the Caymans runs from
late November to mid-April, because it's the least hot and the least rainy. During the hot and muggy summer, heavy showers and thunderstorms are possible, as well as hurricanes, which are more dangerous but fortunately rare.
What to pack
From November to April: light clothes, a sweatshirt for the evening.
From May to October, tropics-friendly, lightweight clothing, possibly a light sweatshirt and a light raincoat for thunderstorms.