British Virgin Islands / Weather

The BVI weather is generally very good. Its tropical marine climate means that the sun is hot of course, but most days there is at least partial cloud cover and the heat is also tempered by the Atlantic tradewinds, which whistle in off the Ocean most days. The time of year has an effect - it is hotter and more humid in the summer months – but a cloudless, windless day in December will be hotter than a breezy one in August. The seasons are not like summer and winter in the northern hemisphere. Instead there is a dry season between December and May and wet season from June until November. The wet season will bring a slightly higher incidence of passing showers but it is not that noticeable. A more serious blight on the otherwise bright horizon are the very occasional cold fronts that spin off major storms and weather systems raging in the North Atlantic, usually in the winter months. These send down a blanket of cloud that can leave the island grey and rainy for several days. 

The tradewinds blow reliably throughout the year, usually between 10 and 15 knots, but they are at their strongest early in the year, when they can average 20 knots. 

The other occasional scourge is hurricanes. The BVI is in the hurricane belt and has been known to receive direct hits. The most likely time for hurricanes is the middle ten days in September, but they have been known to come in August and, in one case recently, as late as November. Be aware that after a bad hurricane hits, the hotels and villas will not necessarily be ready to open a couple of months later or even into the following winter season.