Santo Domingo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Santo Domingo sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 101 mm of rain over about 34 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 28°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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
- 28°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 101 mm
- 34 wet days
- Avg wind
- 10 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.9
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Santo Domingo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 28°C.
A typical winter day in Santo Domingo reaches about 28°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, 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 | 28° / 20° | 32 | 11.8 | 11 | 6.1 |
| Feb | 28° / 20° | 30 | 10.5 | 11.4 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 29° / 21° | 37 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 30° / 22° | 62 | 15.2 | 12.4 | 4.7 |
| May | 30° / 22° | 120 | 21.3 | 12.9 | 3.8 |
| Jun | 30° / 23° | 107 | 21.6 | 13.1 | 3.5 |
| Jul | 31° / 23° | 108 | 21.1 | 13 | 3.6 |
| Aug | 31° / 23° | 129 | 21.3 | 12.6 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 31° / 23° | 120 | 21.1 | 12.1 | 3.4 |
| Oct | 30° / 23° | 115 | 21.6 | 11.6 | 3.7 |
| Nov | 29° / 22° | 75 | 15.9 | 11.1 | 4.7 |
| Dec | 29° / 21° | 39 | 11.4 | 10.9 | 5.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santo Domingo gets around 101 mm of rain over 34 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 10 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 4.5 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.
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 a reasonable time to visit Santo Domingo for 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 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 34 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Santo Domingo 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 27°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 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Tropical | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | Warm |
| Feb | 27 | Warm |
| Mar | 27 | Warm |
| Apr | 27 | Warm |
| May | 28 | Warm |
| Jun | 28 | Tropical |
| Jul | 28 | Tropical |
| Aug | 29 | Tropical |
| Sep | 29 | Tropical |
| Oct | 29 | Tropical |
| Nov | 28 | Tropical |
| Dec | 28 | Warm |
UV index in Santo Domingo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santo Domingo peaks around August 16 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 7 (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 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Level | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | Very high |
| Feb | 10 | Very high |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 12 | Extreme |
| May | 11 | Extreme |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 12 | Extreme |
| Sep | 11 | Extreme |
| Oct | 10 | Very high |
| Nov | 7 | Very high |
| Dec | 7 | 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 June — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 15 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) | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 23 | 24 | 18 | 15 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Moderate |
| Feb | 16 | Moderate |
| Mar | 17 | Moderate |
| Apr | 18 | Moderate |
| May | 23 | Moderate |
| Jun | 31 | Moderate |
| Jul | 29 | Moderate |
| Aug | 25 | Moderate |
| Sep | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 24 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 15 | Moderate |
Where is Santo Domingo?
Santo Domingo sits at 18.5°N, 69.9°W, 24 m above sea level, in Dominican Republic. The nearest listed city is Ciudad Nueva, 1.0 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 63 m around an average of 23 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 80 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,629 m.
The land around Santo Domingo is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) and water (33%) within 3 km, water (41%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and water (31%) within 80 km.
Dominican Republic travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 39% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $11,059
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 45%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 10.9
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 64.6
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 503
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 (18.4719°, -69.8923°, elevation 24 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.