Cuba Weather and Climate

General & Geography

According to COUNTRYAAH, Cuba (Spanish: República de Cuba) is a Caribbean island state in the Greater Antilles and consists of an archipelago of over 4000 islands, both large and small.

With over 104,000 square kilometers, the main island of Cuba is the largest island in the entire Caribbean. The distance to the American mainland (Key West) is only 154 kilometers at the next point.

Nevertheless, the former archenemies Cuba and the USA are still worlds apart. Only slowly are there approaches and gradual lifting of the decade-long embargo.

The highest mountain in Cuba is Pico Turquino with a height of 1974 meters. The largest city of the island state is the capital Havana with over 2 million inhabitants. Besides Havana, the most important tourist regions are the areas around Varadero, Cayo Coco, Valle de Viñales and Holguin on the north coast of Cuba.

The journey from Germany takes place either via the capital or for example with Condor to Holguin, Santa Clara or Varadero. German citizens need a tourist card (EUR 25) and a valid passport to enter the Cuba.

• Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about Cuba.

Climate in Cuba

The climate in Cuba is typical of the Caribbean and can be described as tropical to subtropical. Logically, there are no classic seasons in Cuba, as we are used to from Europe. The temperatures are relatively constant, the difference between the coldest month and the warmest month is only about 5 ° C.

Due to the influence of the northeast trade wind, two seasons can be distinguished in Cuba. The dry season with comparatively little rainfall runs from November to April, the hotter and significantly more humid rainy season begins in May and slowly ends at the end of October.

This period of the rainy season also includes the hurricane season, which can cause tropical cyclones with sometimes severe devastation, especially between June and October. Statistically, July and August are the hottest months in Cuba, they also have very high humidity.

In the course of climate change, there have been repeated shifts and irregularities in recent years. For example, there were recently quite dry weeks in September and October, while November was particularly rainy. The water temperature is suitable for bathing all year round.

When is the best time to visit Cuba?

Despite the pronounced rainy season and hurricane season, Cuba is also a very popular travel destination during the summer months. With the restrictions and risks mentioned, Cuba can therefore easily be described as a year-round destination, because many travelers don’t let the rain spoil their holiday fun.

In addition, inconsistent weather conditions and rainy days can occur during the dry season in winter. In general, however, the humidity outside of summer is much more pleasant, and temperatures are no longer perceived as oppressive.

We therefore recommend the period from November to April as the best travel time for Cuba. Above all, the time around Christmas and New Year’s Eve as well as the Easter holidays is the absolute peak season in Cuba with correspondingly high overnight prices and many visitors.

Those who are not dependent on the school holidays will find an ideal travel time with a very good price-performance ratio, especially in November and from mid- January to mid- March.

Optimal travel time for the regions

In the following overview you can see the best travel time depending on the region (Cuba).

Place	Best travel time
Havana	all except October
Holguin	January, February, March, April, November and December
Trinidad	January, February, March, April, November and December
Varadero	January, February, March, April, November and December
Cayo Santa Maria	January, February, March, April, November and December

Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Havana (Cuba)

	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daytime temperature	26 ° C	26 ° C	28 ° C	29 ° C	30 ° C	31 ° C	31 ° C	32 ° C	31 ° C	29 ° C	28 ° C	27 ° C
Night temperature	19 ° C	19 ° C	20 ° C	21 ° C	22 ° C	23 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	23 ° C	21 ° C	20 ° C
Water temperature	25 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	26 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C
Precipitation in mm	62	46	46	49	109	151	112	109	159	178	70	48
Hours of sunshine	7	7	9	9	8	8	9	8	8	6	7	6
Sunrise	7:10	7:00	7:40	7:10	6:50	6:45	6:50	7:05	7:15	7:25	6:45	7:00
Sunset	18:05	18:25	19:40	19:50	20:05	20:15	20:20	20:05	19:35	19:05	17:45	17:45

Temperatures

The annual average temperature in Havana is 24.7 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is August (27.4 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 21.6 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Havana is 28 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. All months have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.

Precipitation

The annual precipitation is 1139 mm. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The October is considered the rainy season, since in this month are expected to more than 175 mm of rainfall. You cannot expect snow in any month in Havana.

Sunshine

As our climate table shows, April is the sunniest month with an average of 9.1 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year the sun shines for 7.8 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.

Cities nearby

The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Diez de Octubre, Arroyo Naranjo, Boyeros, Habana del Este, San Miguel del Padrón, Centro Habana, Cerro, Guanabacoa, Guanabacoa and Alamar.

Highlights and sights

Even if the coasts of Cuba beckon with great resorts and beaches, a pure hotel vacation is almost a bit of a shame. The capital Havana alone casts a spell over every traveler with its somewhat morbid charm. The old town of Habana Viejo is of course just as much a part of the must-see program as the Plaza de Catedral!

In the old colonial city of Trinidad the bear is literally tapping. Hardly a day goes by without a street festival with live music in the narrow streets with the colorful houses. If you end up in Varadero, you shouldn’t miss the cool caves of Saturno Cave.

For us, the most beautiful beaches in Cuba include Guardalavaca Beach (Holguin), Santa Maria Beach, Cayo Guillermo, Sirena Beach and Playa Paraiso (Cayo Largo) as well as the world-famous Varadero Beach.