St Barthélemy / Weather

The weather in St Barths is generally excellent. 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 (Les Alizés in French), which whistle in off the ocean. The time of year has an effect - it is hotter and more humid in the summer months – but a cloudless, windless day in winter will be hotter than a breezy one in summer. Unlike the temperate zones, St Barths does not have summer and winter. Instead there is a dry season, the Carème between December and May and a wet season, the Hivernage, which lasts 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 cold fronts that spin off any major storms and weather systems that may rage in the North Atlantic, usually in the winter months. These send down a blanket of cloud that can leave the island grey for several days. 

The other occasional scourge is hurricanes. St Barths is in the middle of the hurricane belt and has been known to receive a direct hit. 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 until several months later or even into the following winter season.