Dominica Weather and Climate

Geographical location

According to COUNTRYAAH, Dominica is an island state that belongs to the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean. It borders on Guadeloupe in the north and Martinique in the south. The total area of ​​the island state amounts to 746 square kilometers.

Dominica is home to around 73,000 inhabitants, around a fifth of whom live in the capital Roseau in the southwest of the island. Roseau is both economic and cultural center of Dominica.

The island is one of the so-called Leeewards Islands, i.e. the islands over the wind, although the exact division is somewhat controversial due to the location. However, the designation “the nature island” is undisputed. Dominica got this nickname because of the extremely lush flora and fauna.

About 12 kilometers east of the capital begins the breathtaking Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997 and is subject to special protection.

There are more than 280 bodies of water on the island, including rivers, creeks, and impressive lakes such as scenic Boeri Lake. The volcanic mountains are densely overgrown and at their highest point on Morne Diablotins reach up to 1,447 meters. In the Lesser Antilles, only Soufrière volcano in Guadeloupe is even higher.

A special feature of Dominica is the high rate of centenars, i.e. residents with over 100 years of age. The oldest woman in the world (Ma Pampo) also came from Dominica and is said to have died in 2003 at the age of 128.

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

Climate in Dominica

The climate in Dominica is not only popular with locals, but also with tourists. The climatic conditions are quite a challenge, because the hurricane season often hits the island with great force, especially in the summer months. Even if severe cyclones are not part of everyday life, from the end of May to at least November there are always heavy rains, which sometimes lead to landslides, floods and road closures.

The rains drag on until December and then noticeably (but never completely). From mid-December to May the air is more pleasant, less humid and not so humid. The temperatures are constant all year round at 28 to 30 degrees Celsius, at night it only cools by about 5 degrees.

When is the best time to visit Dominica?

As described, Dominica is meteorologically in an area that the effects of the hurricane season are felt very regularly. Destruction doesn’t necessarily have to occur, but the weather plays with the muscles again and again in the summer months and is sometimes unpredictable.

We therefore recommend the period from mid-December to mid-May as the best travel time for Dominica.

Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Roseau (Dominica)

	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daytime temperature	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	29 ° C	30 ° C	30 ° C	30 ° C	31 ° C	30 ° C	29 ° C	30 ° C	29 ° C
Night temperature	23 ° C	23 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	25 ° C	25 ° C	27 ° C	26 ° C	26 ° C	24 ° C	24 ° C	22 ° C
Water temperature	27 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C
Precipitation in mm	159	107	135	122	220	162	181	243	298	334	374	240
Hours of sunshine	6	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	6
Sunrise	6:35	6:30	6:15	5:50	5:35	5:35	5:45	5:50	5:55	5:55	6:05	6:25
Sunset	17:55	18:10	18:15	18:20	18:25	18:35	18:40	18:30	18:10	17:45	17:35	17:35

Temperatures

The annual average temperature in Roseau is 26.2 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is July (27.4 ° C), coldest month of February with averages of 24.8 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Roseau is 29 ° 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 2575 mm. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of May, July, August, September, October, November and December are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1890 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Roseau.

Sunshine

As our climate table shows, April is the sunniest month with an average of 8.2 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 7.2 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.

Sights & attractions

Dominica can offer numerous attractions to every tourist. One of the most popular of these is the snorkeling tour. As part of this, everyone can view the underwater world of the island state up close. But he will also like the flora and fauna of this part of the Atlantic Ocean. No less interesting is a hike through the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which is offered to all tourists. During this hike you can see exotic animals and plants for yourself and learn details about their habits and peculiarities.

For lovers of unusual experiences there is so-called river tubing on Dominica through the numerous rivers of the island state. Since this safari is carried out in lifebuoys and rivers are quite fast, every tourist will remember unforgettable experiences forever. Those who enjoy watching whales and dolphins in the wild can do it for hours in Dominica. The distance to the animals is only a few meters, so that every tourist can observe the animals up close. If you want it to be like in Africa, you can order a jeep safari.

During such a tour, the tourist is driven through particularly beautiful places and the guide explains the special features of the place to him. The Carib Model Village offers the opportunity to get to know the life of the local residents of Dominica. This event dispels a number of myths about Indians and gives those interested a deep insight into the real conditions of their existence. And for people who are more interested in the architecture of the local cities, there is the Rouseau city tour. In the course of this, the visitor can visit the buildings of the city in Victorian style, take a look at the former slave market and admire the picturesque vegetable and fruit market. This amount of attractions guarantees that the money invested will not be wasted.