Trinidad and Tobago

General Overview

Trinidad and Tobago has all the characteristics of a tropical savanna climate, meaning warm weather almost year-round, with both a dry and wet season. The average yearly temperature is 29oc (84.2oF) and the average UV-Index is 7. As for precipitation, it is dry for almost half of the year (around 145 days), with an average humidity of 77%.

The relatively cooler period (though the temperatures vary very little throughout the year) is from December through February, while the months between May and October are part of the hot and rather muggy period. The good news is that the trade winds manage to temper the heat as they blow year-round. Rain-wise, the relatively dry season runs from February through mid-April and the rainy season starts in June and ends in December.

Fast Facts About the Weather in Trinidad & Tobago

• The coldest months in the country are December, January, and February, when the average high temperature is around 29oC (84.2oF).
• The hottest month in Trinidad and Tobago is May with an average low temperature of 24oC (75.2oF) and an average high temperature of 31oC (87.8oF).
• The period when the seawater is the coldest is between January and April (27oC or 80.6oF average sea temperature).
• The sea temperatures are at their highest in Trinidad and Tobago in September and October (29oC or 84.2oF average sea temperature).
• For the most sunshine, you could consider visiting the islands in July, August, or from January through May, when the average sunshine per day is 8 hours.
• Although not dramatically reduced, the least sunshine is experienced in June and the period between September and December, when the average hours of sunshine per day are around 7.
• When it comes to the UV-Index, the highest average UV Index is from February through September (UV Index 12) and the lowest is in December, with an average maximum UV Index of 9.

Average Temperatures

In the capital of the country, Port of Spain, the yearly minimum temperature is 23.1oC (73.5oF) and the average maximum annual temperature is 32.4oC (90.4oF). The annual mean temperature is 27.7oC (82oF), which can be quite pleasant, especially for visitors coming from the southern regions of the planet.

Average temperatures (Port of Spain in Celsius)

Average temperatures (Port of Spain in Fahrenheit)

Rainfall

Rain falls in abundance in Trinidad and Tobago with around 1,700 millimetres (67 inches) of rain annually. Of these, the months of June through August receive the most water (over 200 mm or 8 in), followed by the period between May through December which experience over 100 mm (4 in) or rainfall. The rains start to decrease gradually from January onward, while the driest months are February through April, when the average rainfall is around 35mm (1.4 in) per month.

Average precipitation (Port of Spain)

When it comes to the days each month receives rain, the period between February and April has the least days of rain (around 8 rainy days monthly). From July through September, expect 20 rainy days on average per month.

Average precipitation (Port of Spain)

Precipitation is different in various parts of the country. For example, Scaborough in Tobago receives 1,500 millimetres (60 inches) of rain annually, with precipitation exceeding 200 mm (8 in) in October and November and exceeding 100 mm (4 in) in the period between June and December.

The interior of both Tobago and Trinidad, though, demonstrates different elevations, with the slopes of the islands receiving rainfall reaching 3,800 mm (150 in) annually, especially those facing north. Along the coasts, though, the weather is good in all the months, while the sporadic rain showers or thunderstorms do not affect the amount of sunshine.

Sunshine Hours

The two islands have around 7.4 hours of sunshine on average daily, with February being the month with the most sunshine and June the month with around 6.5 hours of sunshine per day, which is the lowest you will get in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sunshine hours (Port of Spain)

Sea Temperature

Regardless of the period you visit Trinidad and Tobago, it is safe to assume that you will be greeted with warm-enough sea temperatures year-round. The average annual water temperature is around 27.6oC (81.7oF), with August through October being the period with the highest sea temperatures (29oC or 83oF).

Sea temperature (Port of Spain)

Hurricane Season

In theory, Trinidad & Tobago sits outside the hurricane belt and is rarely affected by a hurricane, especially Trinidad whose southern position shields it even more from a hurricane strike. Nevertheless, the Caribbean hurricane season is from June to November, with the months between August and October being the most probable period for a tropical storm to hit the islands. We have seen a few instances when tropical storms or hurricanes affected Trinidad in Tobago, though, such as the 1993 Trinidad Hurricane, 1974 Alma Tropical Storm, 1993 Bret Tropical Storm, 2004 Hurricane Ivan, and 2007 Hurricane Felix. Except for Trinidad Hurricane, though, none of the others was destructive.