Santo Domingo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Santo Domingo sees average daytime highs around 27°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 65 mm of rain over about 10 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 27°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.
Winter is Santo Domingo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santo Domingo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 27°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 18°C
- Rainfall
- 65 mm
- 10 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Santo Domingo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 27°C.
A typical winter day in Santo Domingo reaches about 27°C and drops to 18°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Santo Domingo
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.
Santo Domingo 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 | 27° / 18° | 22 | 3.6 | 10.8 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 28° / 18° | 24 | 3 | 11.2 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 29° / 19° | 20 | 4.2 | 11.8 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 31° / 21° | 37 | 6.6 | 12.5 | 5.1 |
| May | 31° / 22° | 121 | 15.5 | 13.1 | 3.9 |
| Jun | 32° / 24° | 151 | 19.9 | 13.4 | 3.1 |
| Jul | 32° / 24° | 98 | 17.8 | 13.2 | 3.1 |
| Aug | 33° / 24° | 118 | 19.4 | 12.8 | 2.9 |
| Sep | 32° / 24° | 148 | 21.9 | 12.1 | 3.0 |
| Oct | 30° / 23° | 107 | 17.3 | 11.5 | 4.2 |
| Nov | 28° / 21° | 36 | 7.4 | 10.9 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 27° / 19° | 19 | 3.7 | 10.6 | 7.6 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santo Domingo gets around 65 mm of rain over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 12 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min in early December to 11 h 30 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 4.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santo Domingo
None of Santo Domingo's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Santo Domingo sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Santo Domingo's rainy season runs May–October, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Santo Domingo?
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 Santo Domingo for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Santo Domingo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santo Domingo sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 10 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santo Domingo in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 26°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 49 km away) is warmest in September at about 29°C and coldest in February near 25°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) | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 26 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Warm |
| Feb | 25 | Warm |
| Mar | 25 | Warm |
| Apr | 26 | Warm |
| May | 27 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Tropical |
| Jul | 29 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 27 | Warm |
| Dec | 26 | Warm |
UV index in Santo Domingo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santo Domingo peaks around June 13 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 6 (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) | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Level | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 7 | High |
| Feb | 9 | Very high |
| Mar | 11 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 12 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | High |
| Dec | 6 | High |
Air quality in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo is worst in July — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.0× the cleanest month (November, 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) | 9 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 9 | Good |
| Mar | 13 | Moderate |
| Apr | 14 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 22 | Moderate |
| Jul | 23 | Moderate |
| Aug | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 15 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 8 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Santo Domingo?
Santo Domingo sits at 22.6°N, 80.2°W, 51 m above sea level, in Cuba. The nearest listed city is Lajas, 20 km away.
Topography around Santo Domingo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santo Domingo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Santo Domingo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 22 m around an average of 47 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 126 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,099 m.
The land around Santo Domingo is covered by grassland (41%) and trees (35%) within 3 km, trees (48%) and grassland (35%) within 16 km, and trees (37%), grassland (26%) and water (26%) within 80 km.
Cuba travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C / L
- 110 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 39% of US
- price level, 2011
- GDP per capita
- $9,605
- 2020
- Happiness
- 5.4 / 10
- World Happiness, 2011
- Homicide rate
- 4.5
- per 100k, 2019
- Road deaths
- 8.9
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 515
- 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 Santo Domingo (22.5867°, -80.2426°, elevation 51 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.