Bahamas

Overview

Located north of the Caribbean (but not actually in the Caribbean Sea), The Bahamas enjoys much cooler weather during the wintertime than most of its Caribbean siblings. This means that ocean swimming and walking out at night with a light jacket might feel uncomfortable at times. Nevertheless, this primarily applies to visitors from the northern hemisphere, who are used to hotter climates. For the rest of the world, it will probably feel just right.

What The Bahamas does have in common with the rest of the Caribbean islands, though, is the heavy rains and the hurricane season, which starts in June and ends in October, as well as the high winds that usually come with tropical storms. However, the average rain in The Bahamas is slightly over the average of the other Caribbean countries, especially during June and August. In the winter, the risk of rain is particularly low, though. As for the average daytime temperatures, they are around 31oC (88oF) in the summertime and five degrees Celsius (around 10 degrees Fahrenheit) lower in the winter months.

Quick Facts About the Weather in The Bahamas:

• According to data collected from the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, May is the best month to travel to the country mainly due to the low risk of rain and warmer temperatures.
• April is an even better month to travel to The Bahamas rain-wise as it has an even lower risk of rain than May. However, the temperatures are still a bit cool to allow activities like swimming (again this is somewhat subjective and is based on the weather conditions you are used to).
• The sea temperature is more suited for swimming between May and October. At the same time, though, there is a higher chance of rain during this period.
• According to statistics from the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the most popular months to visit The Bahamas are December through May.

The Bahamas Rainfall and Hurricane Season

The hurricane season in the Caribbean starts in June and lasts until November. In The Bahamas, though, it is a month shorter, so expect a high risk of hurricane between June and October. In general, based on facts derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Bahamas experiences between 12-20 tropical storms every year during the rainy season, with an average of six turning into hurricanes.

What is noteworthy about The Bahamas is the fact that the worst months for the Caribbean islands (rain-wise) are September and October. This is not true for The Bahamas, though, which receives the highest rainfall in June and August, says the Bahamas Department of Meteorology, when one can expect around 12-19 days of rain per month on average.

The Bahamas Monthly Weather

According to facts from the Bahamas Meteorology Department, the weather across the country is as follows:

• January – It is the driest and coldest month of the year with average high temperatures around 26oC (78oF), which is still not bad at all, especially for European, Canadian, and Northern American travellers considering that most of the days are rain-free (only 8 days of rain on average).
• February – About the same story as January, with the only difference being the rainfall, which increases slightly (still considered low for a Caribbean island). The days with raindrops even more, though, reaching the lowest of the year (6 days of rain on average).
• March – The temperature rises by a couple of degrees and the same applies to the average rainfall. The average days of rain are 6-7 and the country receives the highest influx of tourists due to the US Spring Break.
• April – The temperature reaches around 28oC (82oF), two degrees higher than the previous month, but the nighttime temperatures are still quite chilly, which may make swimming a bit of a challenge. The average days of rain climb to 8 and rainfall increases to almost 76mm (3 inches). Tourism is also a bit on a decline compared to March.
• May – It’s the month with warmer temperatures and a lower risk of rain. The beaches are becoming more inviting and warm for swimming and sunbathing. Tourism, however, continues to experience a drop from last month.
• June – The rainfall is getting more frequent and it rains almost half of the month. At the same time, though, it is still warm for outdoor activities, with average temperatures around 31oC (88oF), which is great.

• July – Expect the same scenery as in June, with even more days of rain (nearly 17 on average) and slightly higher temperatures. Nevertheless, July is the second most popular month to travel to The Bahamas.
• August – This is the month with the highest number of days with rain (19 days on average) and lots of downpours. That aside, though, last-minute travellers can still opt for The Bahamas provided they get a good weather forecast. Surprisingly, tourism is high in August, irrespective of the bad weather.
• September – A paradox occurs in September. While the weather is better than in August, it is the month with the fewest number of tourists. Perhaps this is due to its 17 rainy days (on average).
• October – Things are not much different from the previous month rainfall-wise. Even the number of days in the month with rain potential is the same. The average temperature drops, though, to 30oC (86oF), which is warm enough for any outdoor activities and watersports when it is not raining. At the same time, October is the second worst month of the year for tourism. Perhaps, because The Bahamas is going through its hurricane season.
• November – The hurricane season has ended in The Bahamas and the rainy days are gradually becoming less (10 days of rain on average). Soon things will start to pick up for tourism too.
• December – Although it is considered the second coldest month of the year for The Bahamas, we can’t complain with average temperatures in the neighbourhood of 26oC (79oF)! The rainfalls are becoming even more scarce than in November and there are only 7-8 days of rain on average. As expected, tourism slowly returns to normal levels.