Climatology
This page presents St. Kitts and Nevis'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 Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles, St. Kitts and Nevis experiences warm and humid conditions throughout the year. As with most Caribbean islands, the climate of St. Kitts and Nevis is heavily influenced by the marine environment. The average temperature is 26°C-28°C in summer months and 24°C-25°C in the cooler months of December to February. Seasonal and diurnal variations in temperature are small and only at higher elevations do temperatures drop below 17°C. The islands of St. Kitts and Nevis have a wet season between July and December, during which the islands receive up to 150-250 mm of rainfall per month, and a drier season between January and April. Mean annual precipitation on Nevis is about 1170 mm, while the average rainfall in St. Kitts is strongly related to altitude. The central mountain range in St. Kitts receives an annual average of 2,500-4,000 mm in rainfall, while coastal areas receive a more modest annual average of 1,016 mm. Furthermore, in St. Kitts, along the South-East Peninsula (SEP), mean annual precipitation ranges from 990 mm on peaks to 864 mm at Cockleshell Bay. The hurricane season extends from June to November when low pressure systems and tropical disturbances pass through the area. The occurrence of hurricanes is strongly linked to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with more frequent hurricane activity associated with La Niña events, and less frequent events occurring in El Niño years. Heavy rainfall associated with storms and hurricanes contributes significantly to wet season rainfall totals.