Climate in Varadero (Cuba)

In Varadero, the climate is tropical, with pleasantly warm, relatively dry winters and hot, muggy and rainy summers.
The tourist resort, also known as Playa Azul, is located on a small peninsula on the north coast of Cuba and is equipped with wide beaches.
Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to about 1,300 millimeters (53 inches) per year. The wettest period, when it rains more than 150 mm (6 in) per month because of heavy showers and thunderstorms, runs from May to October, which is also the hottest. Here is the average precipitation.

Because of its location, Varadero is a quite windy place, which is positive in the hottest months, but should be taken into account in the cool season. In fact, during winter, from mid-November to mid-March, here as elsewhere in the north of Cuba, a cool wind from the United States, the Norte, can blow, accompanied by cloudiness and some rain. In these cases, at night, the temperature can drop to 10/12 °C (50/54 °F).
Occasionally, it can even get cold at night. In February 1996, the temperature dropped to 4.5 °C (40 °F).

From June to November, Varadero, like the rest of the Caribbean, can be affected by hurricanes, and in particular, the period when they are most likely runs from August to October.



The amount of sunshine in Varadero is good all the year round. In the wettest period, which, as mentioned, runs from May to October, showers and thunderstorms do not reduce the sunshine duration by much, since they are generally short-lived. On the other hand, from November to February, the sun often shines, but some cloud banks can also pass, linked to outbreaks of cool air from the north, which we have already spoken of. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea in Varadero is warm enough to swim in even in winter, when it's about 24/25 °C (75/77 °F), while it becomes very warm in summer, in fact, it reaches 30 °C (86 °F) in August. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to go to Varadero runs from December to May, although it might be useful to make some distinctions. From December to February, and sometimes in the first half of March, it can get cool for swimming and sunbathing, and there may be clouds and rain: in these cases, you can go hiking in the interior of Cuba, you can visit the nearby cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas, and perhaps the Cuban capital, Havana; in any case, it's better to bring a sweatshirt (and maybe also a light jacket) and long pants.
On the other hand, by May, sultry heat begins, as well as thunderstorms, but you can still go, since the hurricane season has not yet started. All in all, the best time goes from mid-March to late April.
In summer, for example in August, the weather is hot and humid, though sea breezes blow; showers and thunderstorms can be intense, but generally do not last long, and there's no shortage of sunshine. However, in this period, there is the danger represented by hurricanes.