Climatology
This page presents Barbados'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.
Located in the windward part of the Caribbean’s archipelago, Barbados enjoys a tropical, oceanic climate with hot and humid conditions that persist year-round. The country enjoys an average temperature of 26.8°C, with no drastic changes in either seasonal or daily temperatures. Weather seasons can be classified as either wet or dry, with the wet season coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Monthly average rainfall ranges from a peak of approximately 168.4mm during the wet season, to a low of approximately 39 mm, during the dry season (December to May). Weather during the dry season generally includes warm days, cool nights and relatively low rainfall. The wet season is characterised by high humidity, low wind speeds and high rainfall. Maximum air temperatures are experienced during the wet season, peaking in September–October, with cooler temperatures occurring during the dry season. Barbados’s climate is heavily influenced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The El Niño phenomena brings hotter and drier conditions during the months of June to August while La Niña brings colder and wetter conditions to the region. These phenomena have been historically the main determinants of the severity of weather events in the country.