St. John's in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), St. John's sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 111 mm of rain over about 30 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Winter is St. John's's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. St. John's has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see St. John's's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 25°C
- Rainfall
- 111 mm
- 30 wet days
- Avg wind
- 27 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in St. John's in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.
A typical winter day in St. John's reaches about 26°C and drops to 25°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
How winter really feels in St. John's
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
St. John's weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26° / 24° | 32 | 10 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
| Feb | 25° / 24° | 21 | 7.1 | 11.4 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 25° / 24° | 21 | 6.6 | 11.9 | 7.8 |
| Apr | 26° / 25° | 33 | 8.8 | 12.4 | 7.2 |
| May | 27° / 26° | 62 | 12.4 | 12.8 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 27° / 26° | 51 | 12.1 | 13 | 6.1 |
| Jul | 28° / 26° | 78 | 15.9 | 12.9 | 5.8 |
| Aug | 28° / 26° | 98 | 17.8 | 12.6 | 5.4 |
| Sep | 28° / 26° | 127 | 18 | 12.1 | 4.9 |
| Oct | 28° / 26° | 132 | 18.8 | 11.6 | 5.2 |
| Nov | 27° / 26° | 103 | 15.8 | 11.2 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 26° / 25° | 58 | 13.3 | 11 | 6.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 78% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
St. John's gets around 111 mm of rain over 30 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 27 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early December to 11 h 36 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for St. John's
None of St. John's's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
St. John's sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
St. John's's rainy season runs July–November, when most of the year's rain falls.
St. John's sees seasonal dust haze (July), heaviest in July.
Is winter a good time to visit St. John's?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit St. John's for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for St. John's in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, St. John's sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 25°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 30 days see rain.
Sea temperature near St. John's in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 27°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 26°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 26 | Warm |
| Mar | 26 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Warm |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 27 | Warm |
UV index in St. John's in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in St. John's peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 7 (very high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 13 | Extreme |
| Apr | 13 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 12 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Extreme |
| Nov | 8 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | Very high |
Air quality in St. John's in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in St. John's is worst in July — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 11 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Good |
| Feb | 10 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 24 | Moderate |
| Jul | 24 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 16 | Moderate |
| Oct | 17 | Moderate |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is St. John's?
St. John's sits at 17.1°N, 61.8°W, 12 m above sea level, in Antigua and Barbuda. The nearest listed city is Falmouth, 12 km away.
Topography around St. John's
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of St. John's.
Within 3 km, the terrain around St. John's has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 109 m around an average of 20 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 391 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,011 m.
The land around St. John's is covered by artificial surfaces (35%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, water (69%) within 16 km, and water (96%) within 80 km.
Antigua and Barbuda travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 230 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 69% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $24,819
- 2025
- Homicide rate
- 10.7
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 0
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for St. John's (17.121°, -61.8433°, elevation 12 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.