Bahamas Weather

Bahamas weather is subtropical to tropical weather. The Gulf Stream waters influence the climate greatly, especially in the winter months. On the other hand, this frequently turns out to be quite severe during the autumn and summer, when cyclones blow over the islands.

Bahamas weather is semitropical (which means subtropical to tropical). There are mainly two seasons in the Bahamas and they are summer and winter. The summer that stretches from May to November, is characterized by hot and humid tropical climate.

Temperatures during mid summer vary from 69.8 to 93.2°F (21 to 34°C) with a relative humidity of 60%-100%. During the winter months, stretching from December to April, the weather is influenced by the passage of chilly frosty arctic masses from Northern America. Throughout the winter months, temperatures vary from 59 to 75.2°F (15 to 24°C).

Breezes are mostly easterly round the year. Nevertheless, they have a tendency to turn into northeasterly during the months of October to April and southeasterly during the months of May to September. On very few occasions, these breezes cross the speed of 24 km/hour apart from during periods of hurricane. In spite of the fact that the hurricane spells formally stay from June to November, majority of hurricanes in the area take place in the middle of July and October.

What type of clothing should you carry to Bahamas?

If you visit the Bahamas during the summer months, you should carry light clothes (cotton), sunshades, hats, and sunscreen lotions. On the other hand, if you visit during the winter, you must carry moderate clothing to tackle the chill.

Snowfall and rainfall in Bahamas

Though there has not ever been a snowfall recorded in the Bahamas, the mercury can drop as low as 2–3 °C (35.6–37.4 °F) at the time of Arctic eruptions that have an effect on Florida, which is quite close to the archipelago. Snowfall was described to have blended with rain in Freeport in January 1977, this was the same time when snowfall occurred in the Miami region. The temperature was around 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) at that period. The average annual precipitation in the Bahamas is 1,320 mm (52 inches) and rainfall mainly occurs in two phases: during the months of May- June and September-October. Rainfall frequently takes place in brief, quite deep spells of rain together with powerful puffy breezes that are subsequently succeeded by bright skies.

When is the best time to visit the Bahamas?

The average temperature in Bahamas ranges between 75°F and 85°F (24°C-29°C) in both winter and summer. The best time to visit the country is from November to December and February to May. Cyclones do not typically become problematic till August and September. Nevertheless, you should be careful about the forecasts. According to some sources, January is the most suitable month to visit the country. Though the period of June to October is not the warmest period of the year, these months experience the maximum rainfalls and there is a slim chance of cyclones. From late spring to late fall, it is the “off season” in the country. If you visit during the off-season, you will get cheaper flight and hotel rates. On the other hand, hotel and flight rates are quite high in the peak season. Nonetheless, traveling during the peak season lets you participate in various enjoyable activities and sports like golf, tennis, fishing, cruising, sailing, windsurfing, and other types of water sports.