The Climate of
Saint Helena
Jacob's Ladder with the view down to Jamestown
What is the climate of Saint Helena like?
Saint Helena, a British overseas territory, is a remote, mountainous island in the South Atlantic Ocean at approximately 16°S, and about 1,930 km (1,200 mi) from the west coast of Africa. The island is about 16 km/10 mi in diameter. It is rather mountainous, with a single peak rising to 820 meters (2,700 feet).
St Helena has a tropical climate with no great extremes of temperature. Southeast trade winds give the island a pleasant climate, despite its tropical location. The temperature at Jamestown, the capital, on the north coast, ranges from 17° to 28°C (63–82°F); inland, as the elevation rises, temperatures are somewhat cooler.
The north coast has a very low annual rainfall but this coast is sheltered from the southeast trade winds which bring a much heavier fall to the south coast and to the higher ground; as much as 750 to 1,000 millimeters (30 to 40 inches). On the north coast the weather is warm, sunny, and dry for much of the year. The climate of the island is rarely unpleasant or hazardous, although Napoleon, when exiled to Saint Helena from 1815, found much to complain about in its climate and dampness.
| Climate data for Jamestown | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.2 (81.0) | 24.4 (75.9) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.5 (76.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.2 (75.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.8 (69.4) | 19.7 (67.5) | 19.7 (67.5) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.3 (68.5) | 20.8 (69.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.8 (71.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.1 (70.0) | 19.4 (66.9) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 18.3 (64.9) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.1 (66.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 8 (0.3) | 10 (0.4) | 20 (0.8) | 10 (0.4) | 18 (0.7) | 18 (0.7) | 8 (0.3) | 10 (0.4) | 5 (0.2) | 3 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 3 (0.1) | 114 (4.5) |
| Source: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial | |||||||||||||
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
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Saint Helena
In summary:
Southeast trade winds give Saint Helena a pleasant climate, despite its tropical location. The temperature at Jamestown, the capital, on the north coast, ranges from 17° to 28°C (63–82°F); inland, as the elevation rises, temperatures are somewhat cooler.
Annual rainfall ranges from a little over 100 mm (4 in) in the north up to a maximum of about 1000 mm (40 in) in the south.