Climatology
This page presents Antigua and Barbuda's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Caribbean island nations have a tropical climate with one rainy season, from May to November. Average annual precipitation throughout the region is 2200 mm or higher, but varies widely. All countries in the region experience drought conditions. The climate on the coasts is humid and warm with high temperatures averaging 32°C in the hottest month (July) and 29°C in the coolest month (February), and lows averaging 24°C and 23°C, respectively. Further into the interior, the climate cools due to an increase in altitude, with recorded nighttime readings as low as 12°C.
- Average annual temperatures have increased 0.2-0.7°C, varying by country.
- The frequency of hot days has increased in many, but not all, of the countries.
- Changes to average annual rainfall vary within the region. Regionally, there may be a decrease in rainy days and a slightly shorter rainy season.
- There has been a substantial increase in the intensity of Atlantic hurricanes since 1980.