Basse-Terre in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Basse-Terre sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 92 mm of rain over about 35 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 69% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels muggy.

Winter is Basse-Terre's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. Basse-Terre 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 Basse-Terre's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
24°C
Rainfall
92 mm
35 wet days
Avg wind
19 km/h
Travel score
6.9
2nd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Basse-Terre in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 26°C.

A typical winter day in Basse-Terre reaches about 26°C and drops to 24°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

20°23°25°28°30°DecJanFeb

Basse-Terre 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 24°3011.911.26.9
Feb25° / 24°229.111.57.2
Mar26° / 24°197.211.97.5
Apr26° / 24°309.612.36.9
May27° / 25°5011.512.76.3
Jun28° / 26°4512.412.96.0
Jul28° / 26°6215.912.95.7
Aug28° / 26°7917.812.55.3
Sep28° / 26°10718.112.14.9
Oct28° / 26°10819.511.65.1
Nov27° / 25°8716.311.35.7
Dec26° / 25°4013.511.16.5

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 69% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Basse-Terre gets around 92 mm of rain over 35 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 19 km/h across winter.

0510152025DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 5.1 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Basse-Terre

In seasonPeak

None of Basse-Terre's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

Basse-Terre sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Basse-Terre's rainy season runs May–May, when most of the year's rain falls.

Basse-Terre sees seasonal dust haze (June–July), heaviest in July.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit Basse-Terre?

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.

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Basse-Terre for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Basse-Terre in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Basse-Terre sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 35 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Basse-Terre 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 at the nearest coast (about 18 km away) 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.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May28Warm
Jun28Tropical
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Warm

UV index in Basse-Terre in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 Basse-Terre peaks around March 22 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 8 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highMar 22UV 13Dec 15UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Basse-Terre in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Basse-Terre is worst in June — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2126 µg/m³Dec 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar9Good
Apr13Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Basse-Terre?

Basse-Terre sits at 16.0°N, 61.7°W, 11 m above sea level, in Guadeloupe. The nearest listed city is Capesterre-Belle-Eau, 19 km away.

Capesterre-Belle-EauPetit-BourgBaie-MahaultPointe-à-PitreLe GosierSainte-RoseLes AbymesSainte-Anne

Topography around Basse-Terre

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Basse-Terre.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Basse-Terre has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 337 m around an average of 66 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,456 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,444 m.

The land around Basse-Terre is covered by water (50%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, water (63%) and trees (35%) within 16 km, and water (86%) within 80 km.

3 km
337 m
16 km
1,456 m
80 km
1,444 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Capesterre-Belle-Eau 19 km · Petit-Bourg 26 km · Baie-Mahault 34 km · Pointe-à-Pitre 34 km · Le Gosier 35 km · Sainte-Rose 37 km · Les Abymes 39 km · Sainte-Anne 45 km

Guadeloupe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz

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 Basse-Terre (15.9971°, -61.7321°, elevation 11 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.