General Overview

Saint Kitts & Nevis is a state of the Lesser Antilles group that is formed by two islands (Saint Kitts island and Nevis island) that enjoy tropical weather. This means that the climate in this Caribbean region is humid and hot throughout the year, with two distinct seasons – the dry season and the rainy season. The first is relatively cool and lasts from January through mid-April, while the second is humid and hot and lasts from mid-June through mid-November.

However, the presence of the northeast trade winds which are a typical phenomenon across the Caribbean islands and countries with a tropical climate, affects the weather of Saint Kitts & Nevis. During the dry season, they blow steadily and their intensity is moderate. Nevertheless, during the wet season, they may experience several pauses and are even becoming more irregular, which raises the feeling of sultriness in the region.

Between mid-April, when the dry season ends, and mid-June, when the west season begins, there is a transitional period, during which both the frequency of rainfall and temperature increases gradually. There is also another transitional period spanning from mid-November to early January, when the weather improves, the temperature drops by just a few degrees, and the trade winds start to make their presence more noticeable.

Hurricane Season

Saint Kitts & Nevis enter the hurricane season in June, which lasts until November. This is the same across the entire West Indies area. However, the greatest chance of a hurricane hitting Saint Kitts & Nevis is between August and October.

Average Temperatures

Basserete is the capital of the state, which is situated on Saint Kitts island and has an annual average temperature of around 27oC (80.6oF), with January and February being the coldest months with average temperatures of around 25.5oC (77oF) and the period between June through October having the highest average temperatures, around 28oC (82oF). This is still pretty good, though, especially for travellers coming from the northern hemisphere.

As for the lowest temperatures, these are usually noticed between January and March and average 22.5oC (72.5oF), while the hottest months are July through September when the temperature is around 28.2oC (82.8oF).

Average temperatures (Basserete)

Rainfall

The two islands receive quite a lot of rainfall throughout the year. However, the majority of annual rainfall amounts (around 1,200 mm or 47 in) happen along the coastline. The precipitation goes beyond 100 millimetres (4 inches) during the rainiest period, so from July through November. The least rainfall occurs during the driest season, from February through April, and does not exceed 60 mm (2.4 inches) monthly.

However, the fact that both islands comprising Saint Kitts & Nevis have a volcano also affects the climate and the humidity levels. Formerly known as Mount Misery, Mount Liamuiga is 1,156 metres high (around 3,800 feet) and is located in Saint Kitts island, while Nevis Peak at Nevis island is 985 metres high (around 3,230 feet). On the slopes of these two mountains, the humidity levels are increased compared to those along the coast, and receive more rain than the shoreline.

Average precipitation

When it comes to the number of rainy days per month, on average, April is the month with the least days of rain (around 8) and November is the month with the rainiest days in a year (approximately 15 days). However, the rest of the months are not so bad, especially from February through April, which have downpours for 8 or 9 days. Annually, Saint Kitts & Nevis have around 144 days of rain.

Average number of rainy days

As expected in countries like Saint Kitts & Nevis with a tropical climate, the rains come in the form of either thunderstorms or downpours, but they are usually short-lasting, not affecting the total sunshine hours per day significantly.

It should also be noted that tropical climates also have irregular rains. This means that there may as well be months with no rainfall whatsoever even in the heart of the rainy season. At the same time, though, this also translates as having periods of particularly heavy rainfall that last for several days in a row. This is most often a phenomenon taking place in the rainy and hot seasons rather than the dry period.

Sunshine

As already mentioned, the downpours in Saint Kitts & Nevis usually have little effect on the amount of sunshine the region gets annually. This is especially true for the areas along the coasts. Overall, the region has close to 3000 hours of sunshine yearly and around 8-9 hours of sunshine daily (or about 240 hours of sunshine monthly).

Sunshine hours (Basseterre)

Sea Temperature

The water is warm year-round with particularly pleasant temperatures averaging 27.6oC (81.8oF). This creates the perfect conditions to enjoy swimming all year round, as well as other water sports activities, including diving and snorkelling. The coldest the sea will get in Saint Kitts & Nevis is in February and March (26oC or 79oF) and the warmest temperatures are from August through October (29oC or 84oF).

Sea temperature (Basseterre)