The Climate of
Barbados
Parliament Building in Bridgetown
What is the climate of Barbados like?
The small island of Barbados is one of the largest of the Windward Islands, and lies east of Martinique, Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Saint Vincent. The Windward Islands, which form the southern part of the Lesser Antilles, lie between 15°N and the coast of the South American continent.
Barbados lies within the tropics and has a pleasant climate. The island has a maritime tropical climate characterized by uniformly high temperatures and relatively high humidity throughout the year and by distinct rainy and dry seasons. The dry season (from December to the end of May) is the cooler season.
The trade winds that blow across Barbados from the Atlantic Ocean moderate the island's tropical marine climate. The weather is warm to hot year-round, with conditions becoming wetter during the summer months with high rainfall. During the December to June dry season there are almost constant sea breezes from the northeast, whereas for the rest of the year the winds arrive from the southeast. Temperatures range from 21° to 31°C (70 to 87°F); they rarely drop below 18°C (65°F) even on the coldest days. Slightly lower temperatures prevail at higher elevations
There is some rain in all months, but the heaviest rainy season is from July to November. During the rainy season, the southeasterly winds are fairly frequent and bring increased cloudiness and thunderstorm activity. There are intervening periods of fair weather with good visibility. During the dry season, February through April, the weather is usually good; there are scattered light showers, but few thunderstorms and fairly good visibility.
Rainfall increases considerably with elevation. Rainfall averages around 1,875 millimeters (75 inches) per year in the higher central area as compared with 1,275 millimeters (50 inches) in the coastal zone. Humidity levels are between 71 percent and 76 percent year round.
January to April is generally cool and dry; occasional rain showers freshen the air, and early morning breezes rarely push temperatures above 29°C (84°F). Towards the end of May there are frequent showers and heavy rains. Between June and November the weather becomes muggy and oppressive; huge masses of cloud rise on the horizon, and lightning begins, followed by thunder. At other times the rain descends in torrents. Around December it gets drier, after a few thunderstorms refreshing breezes set in and the air feels cooler.
July to November is hurricane season. About once a year a tropical storm will develop and bring extensive cloudiness, heavy rainfall, severe thunderstorms, and strong winds. Less severe storms produce significant rainfall over a fairly wide area. Temperature, humidity and sunshine all year round are typical of the Caribbean.
| Climate data for Bridgetown (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.2 (84.6) | 29.7 (85.5) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.2 (86.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.2 (80.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.2 (75.6) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.3 (75.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 68.1 (2.68) | 41.7 (1.64) | 38.9 (1.53) | 58.1 (2.29) | 74.1 (2.92) | 101.2 (3.98) | 121.5 (4.78) | 150.6 (5.93) | 162.6 (6.40) | 179.6 (7.07) | 172.6 (6.80) | 91.0 (3.58) | 1,260 (49.6) |
| Source: Barbados Meteorological Services | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Barbados Handbook, (1971), Central Intelligence Agency
- Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (1989) Islands of the Commonwealth Caribbean; A Regional Study, United States Government Printing Office.
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Barbados
In summary:
The tropical climate of Barbados is tempered by an almost constant sea breeze from the northeast in the winter and early spring, and from the southeast during the rest of the year.
The weather is cool and dry in winter, and hotter and humid during the rainy season. Temperatures range from 21°to 31°C (70 to 87°F). There is a wet season from June to December, but rain falls periodically throughout the year.