Guadeloupe Weather and Climate

Geographical location

According to abbreviationfinder, Guadeloupe is around 7,000 kilometers from Paris, but still officially belongs to the national territory of France and, as a French overseas department, is also a normal member of the EU.

The archipelago consists of a total of 9 islands and is one of the so-called Lesser Antilles. Together with the island states of Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and Martinique, which are also located in the Caribbean, one speaks logically of the French Antilles. Due to the striking shape of its two main islands, Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre, which are only connected by a 40-meter-wide land area, Guadeloupe is often referred to as the “butterfly island”.

Guadeloupe also includes the human-inhabited islets of La Désirade and Marie-Galante as well as the uninhabited island group of Îles des Saintes and the island of Îles de la Petite Terre. The landscape on the two main islands differs quite significantly, as Basse-Terre is a volcanic island with mountainous terrain and lush vegetation, while Grande-Terre is rather flat and comparatively barren.

Climate in Guadeloupe

As usual for the Lesser Antilles, Guadeloupe, the so-called Caribbean island, has a tropical climate above the wind, which is characterized by warm temperatures all year round, but does not have extreme humidity. Typically, most of the precipitation falls during the European summer and autumn, so that the months of July to the end of October in Guadeloupe can be described as the rainy season.

The (relatively low) risk of hurricanes also falls in the wetter months, which is why this period is generally not the best travel time. However, the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, including Guadeloupe, receive occasional rainfall year-round, so rain can occur any month of the year.

These are usually strong, but very short and not only serve as a welcome refreshment for the plants. Usually shortly afterwards the sun fights its way through the clouds again and the conditions are ideal for swimming. Due to the mountains on Basse-Terre, it can sometimes be significantly cooler here at higher altitudes, and more rainfall usually pours on the slopes than on the beaches of Grande-Terre.

When to go to Guadeloupe?

Due to the climatic conditions, we can safely recommend December to June as the best time to visit Guadeloupe. In this way you avoid the risk of tropical storms and can look forward to 7 to 8 hours of sunshine a day and water temperatures of around 26 degrees. These are ideal conditions for a beach holiday.

Due to the light trade winds, activities such as hiking or bike tours in Guadeloupe are also pleasantly possible during this time. At night there is a mild 19 degrees, while it heats up significantly in the period from June to November. However, this does not mean that July through November are not at all suitable for a trip to Guadeloupe.

On the contrary, there are always sunny phases during this time and sometimes it doesn’t rain at all for days. In addition, the prices of the hotels are now pleasantly low in the off-season, and the flight offers (mostly via France) also result in great savings potential. So if you don’t mind the possible weather risks, you can have a fantastic holiday in Guadeloupe even outside the prime travel time.

Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe)

	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daytime temperature	28 ° C	28 ° C	29 ° C	29 ° C	30 ° C	30 ° C	30 ° C	31 ° C	31 ° C	30 ° C	30 ° C	29 ° C
Night temperature	19 ° C	19 ° C	19 ° C	21 ° C	22 ° C	23 ° C	23 ° C	23 ° C	23 ° C	22 ° C	21 ° C	20 ° C
Water temperature	26 ° C	25 ° C	26 ° C	26 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	28 ° C	27 ° C	27 ° C
Precipitation in mm	90	60	71	116	159	151	198	232	236	237	202	139
Rainy days	15	11	10	11	14	14	17	17	17	18	17	16
Hours of sunshine	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7
Sunrise	6:35	6:30	6:15	5:50	5:35	5:35	5:40	5:50	5:55	6:00	6:10	6:25
Sunset	17:55	18:10	18:15	18:20	18:30	18:40	18:40	18:30	18:10	17:45	17:30	17:35

Temperatures

The annual average temperature in Pointe-a-Pitre is 25.4 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is August (26.8 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 23.6 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Pointe-a-Pitre 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 1891 mm on 177 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. The months of July, August, September, October and November are considered the rainy season, as more than 175 mm of precipitation can be expected per month. Overall, about 1105 mm of precipitation can be expected in the rainy season. You cannot expect snow in any month in Pointe-à-Pitre.

Sunshine

As our climate table shows, March is the sunniest month with an average of 8 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year, the sun shines 7.5 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.

Highlights and sights

Guadeloupe inspires above all with its exciting mix of cultures, which always shifts between French modernity, Creole joie de vivre and African serenity. The incomparably beautiful beaches such as St. Anne Beach, Plage Leroux, Ilet Caret, Les Saintes or the Blue Lagoon inspire sun worshipers and bathers from all over the world.

But the islands also have a lot to offer in terms of landscape, especially the meeting of the Atlantic and Caribbean at the Pointe des Chateaux reveals a gigantic spectacle of the forces of nature. The Carbet waterfalls are just as popular as the Deshaies Botanical Garden, while active vacationers will especially seek the challenge of the La Soufriere volcano.

At 1,467 meters, it is the highest mountain in the Lesser Antilles. Exciting hiking trails also lead through the Guadeloupe National Park, which extends around the volcano.