The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is a federal two-island nation found in the West Indies in the south-eastern area of the Caribbean Sea. It is located close to the west of Antigua and lies around 2000 kilometres to the southeast of Florida.
St. Kitts is the larger island and lies north of Nevis. The capital, Basseterre, is found on St. Kitts and its large port makes it a popular stop-off for Caribbean cruise-liners.
The climate of St. Kitts is hot and tropical. Average temperatures vary between 24°C and 28°C throughout the year, while rainfall is possible at any time but most likely between July and November.
Because of its tropical climate, there are no strictly defined, noticeable seasons in St. Kitts, though you could classify July to November as the wet season and December to June as the dry season. The climate is strongly influenced by the Northeast trade winds that bring welcome, cooling breezes that make for the very agreeable temperatures to be enjoyed on the islands. The surrounding seas are warm year-round. The coolest time of year is December to March, the first part of the dry season, with an average temperature 25°C. February and March are also the driest months, making this arguably the best time to visit. The wettest period, between July and November, is also the hottest time of year.
The main noteworthy event of the climatic year in St. Kitts is the hurricane season, which can run from May to December, with its strongest period between August and October, the latter half of the wet season. Hurricanes can be devastating, but in truth they are quite rare; in the last 65 years only 13 hurricanes have hit the island. Six of these have been strong (category 3 or more). In addition to that, ten tropical storms have hit the island in this timeframe. These tropical storms are violent Caribbean storms, yet not quite strong enough to be classified as hurricanes.
Obviously, the hurricane season is the least popular time for tourists, but this can make it more appealing to some, as there are both fewer tourist and cheaper prices. The number and strength of hurricanes varies a great deal year to year and, moreover, many years the island is spared from any hurricanes whatsoever. However, some stormy weather with heavy rain and strong winds is guaranteed during the rainy season, so if you are planning on visiting between July and November, you should prepare for that and always keep an eye on the weather forecast.
Both islands that make up the federation are hilly in nature; the highest peak on St. Kitts is 1200 metres tall. This can create different micro-climates where one side of the island may be sunny while the other is wet. Also if you are in the hills temperatures tend to be a touch cooler and rainfall a little greater.
The cooling trade winds and the comfortable humidity levelround 70%eally do help to make St. Kitts' climate one of the best in the world. Sunshine is abundant and temperatures are very warm without being uncomfortably hot. Although February to April is arguably the best time for a holiday in St. Kitts, there really isn't a bad time to visit if you are willing to risk there being a bit of rainy weather.
Dry Season
The dry season in St. Kitts runs roughly from December through to June, with May being the odd wet month in the season. May has 120mm of rainfall and 11 days with rainfall, which is significantly more than the other months of the season. December has 90mm of precipitation, while January, the driest month of the entire year, receives around 60mmebruary, March and April have 70mm of rainfall. The number of rainy days per month in the dry season ranges between 10 and 16.
In terms of sunshine, there is not a lot of variation in the amount of daily sunshine in the whole yearhe number of sunshine hours per day ranges between 8 and 10, which is incredibly high. However, the months that have 10 hours of sunshine per day, March and June, fall within the dry season. All other dry season months have 9 hours of sunshine each day, which is absolutely delightful.
This is also the coolest period of the year, although that, too, is relative. In the dry season, the overall average temperature ranges from 24°C in February to 28°C in June, which is the transitional month between the cool dry season and the warm wet season. Generally speaking, you can expect temperatures around 25-26°C this time of year. In the afternoons, the mercury climbs to highs of 27°C in February, which is the coolest month, and to 27°C in December and January, while the afternoons from March through June are 29°C to 31°C warm. At night, the average low temperature is never below 21°Chis is the year's lowest average temperature, recorded in February. Overall, you can enjoy evenings and nights that are approximately 22°C warm.
The sea temperature is something else that remains essentially constant all-year round. In the dry season, which is when the Caribbean Sea is at its "coldest", it ranges from 26°C in January, February and March, to 27°C in December and April, and 28°C in May and June. Swimming is more than enjoyable throughout the entire year, in other words.
Wet Season
Running from July through to November, the wet season is characterised by significantly more rainfall than the other half of the year. That being said however; St. Kitts actually never receives extreme amounts of rainfallrecipitation is less severe than other tropical destinations around the world. October is the wettest month of the year and receives 140mm of rainfall, which is significant, yet not too much. September and November are second and third, respectively with 130mm and 120mm of rainfall. Rainfall occurs in heavy downpours, thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane. It is these phenomena that are responsible for most of the rainfall in St. Kittsuckily, they are generally relatively brief, which leaves plenty of dry weather to be enjoyed, even in the so-called wet season.
Sunshine is always abundant. October, the wettest and therefore cloudiest month, has 8 hours of sunshine per day and is the "darkest" month of the year. This is still an extremely high number of daily sunshine hours by any means, though, which showcases how clear and sunny the skies typically are in these parts. All other months in the wet season have 9 hours of sunshine per day on average.
The wet season is also slightly warmer than the dry seasonnd more humid as well. The average temperature is 28°C throughout the season, with the exception of November, the transitional month between the wet and dry seasons, which has an average temperature of 26°C. Visitors to St. Kitts can enjoy afternoon temperatures that average 31°C and pleasant evenings of 24°C on averagegain, the exception is November, which is a couple of degrees cooler. These temperatures are nothing short of spectacular. The sea water is gloriously warm as well, averaging between 28°C and 29°C.
