Basseterre in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Basseterre sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 105 mm of rain over about 31 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 79% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Winter is Basseterre's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. Basseterre 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 Basseterre's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
26°C
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
24°C
Rainfall
105 mm
31 wet days
Avg wind
27 km/h
Travel score
7.2
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Basseterre 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 Basseterre 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

How winter really feels in Basseterre

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.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Basseterre 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°3010.311.17.3
Feb25° / 24°217.311.47.7
Mar25° / 24°206.811.97.8
Apr26° / 25°338.512.47.3
May27° / 26°6111.912.86.4
Jun27° / 26°4710.9136.3
Jul28° / 26°7414.512.96.0
Aug28° / 26°911712.65.5
Sep28° / 26°11817.712.15.2
Oct28° / 26°12517.811.65.4
Nov27° / 26°10515.811.25.9
Dec26° / 25°5413.3116.6

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 79% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Basseterre gets around 105 mm of rain over 31 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 oppressive — 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 27 km/h across winter.

0102030DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

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 5.0 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for Basseterre

In seasonPeak

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

Basseterre sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Basseterre's rainy season runs July–November, when most of the year's rain falls.

Basseterre sees seasonal dust haze (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 Basseterre?

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.

7.2
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Basseterre for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Basseterre in Winter

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

In winter, Basseterre sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 24°C. Pack a windbreaker. Worth having: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 31 days see rain.

a windbreakerlight clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Basseterre 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 14 km away) 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.

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan27Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun28Warm
Jul28Tropical
Aug29Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov28Tropical
Dec27Warm

UV index in Basseterre 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 Basseterre 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 16UV 7
UV index (midday)Level
Jan8Very high
Feb11Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct10Extreme
Nov8Very high
Dec7High

Air quality in Basseterre 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 Basseterre is worst in June — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.6× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 2225 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb10Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Basseterre?

Basseterre sits at 17.3°N, 62.7°W, -22 m above sea level, in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The nearest listed city is Gustavia, 68 km away.

Topography around Basseterre

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Basseterre has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 368 m around an average of 48 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,141 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,090 m.

The land around Basseterre is covered by water (40%), grassland (21%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, water (81%) within 16 km, and water (98%) within 80 km.

3 km
368 m
16 km
1,141 m
80 km
1,090 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Gustavia 68 km · Brades 78 km · Plymouth 85 km · Philipsburg 88 km · Marigot 94 km · St. John's 96 km · Codrington 103 km · Falmouth 105 km

Saint Kitts and Nevis travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B / D / G
230 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 69% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$25,223
2025
Homicide rate
64.2
per 100k, 2023
Income group
High
World Bank

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 Basseterre (17.2955°, -62.725°, elevation -22 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.