St. Vincent and the Grenadines tropical climate is generally very stable & predictable:
Temperature
variation
year round
is minimal and is generally
around 29
°
C
/ 86
° C
Average sea temperature
ranges from 25
°
C
in February to 28
°
C
in September
Average annual rainfall
is just 100mm (4 inches)
The
islands are located at around latitude 12°30' North, which puts them right in
the path of the Easterly Tradewinds. This is what makes the Windward
islands such a perfect sailing destination!
There are 2 Official seasons:
DRY SEASON - November till June
The dry season is characterised by fairly consistent North easterly winds of around 15 - 25 knots. Around the New Year these winds, known as the Christmas winds, can increase to around 20 - 30 knots which keep the islands feeling nice and fresh.
There can still be the occasional "tradewind showers" but generally this period is very dry. Towards the end of this season the island can become much dryer and vegetation turns form the usual lush green to yellow/brown at the very peak of this dry period.
RAINY SEASON - June till November (also known as the Hurricane Season)
Rather obviously, this season is much wetter, approximately every few days a tropical wave will form just off the coast of Africa. These waves are small fronts which will usually bring cloud and showers for a short period. Depending on the strength of the wave this can be just a quick shower to a few hours of continuous rain. These Tropical Waves have the potential to develop into Tropical Depressions - which guarantee cloud and rain. Tropical depressions can then develop into Tropical Storms with winds of up to 35 knots. Over 65 knots and the storm becomes a hurricane.
Needless to say this happens very rarely (our last direct hit was 1955) and there is always plenty of warning for these threatening hurricanes - usually at least 3 days.
The Grenadines are located right at the southern edge of the hurricane belt keeping us well out of the action!
These hurricanes from Africa tend to pass much further north, towards the Virgin Islands and right up to Florida. When this happens the weather here in the Grenadines is just stunning - as the hurricane draws all the moisture away, we are left with clear blue skies and perfect visibility.
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/carb/loop-vis.html
http://www.weatherunderground.com/tropical/