Weather Locations in Cuba

Cuba Weather Overview

Cuba is is island nation which lies in the Carribean Sea as part of the Carribbean region. The archipelago of islands, with the main island being Cuba, lies west of the North Atlantic Ocean, East of the Gulf of Mexico and Northwest of the Windward passage.

Cuba’s terrain is largely flat and rolling, though in the south east of the island you will find rugged hills and mountain ranges. Cuba is in fact home to the second largest nickel reserves in the world after Russia.

The Republic of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba and is surrounded by four groups of islands- the Colorados, the Sabana-Camagüey, the Jardines de la Reina and the Canarreos. Cuba extends for 750 miles and is a striking mix of mountain ranges and plains. The island is home to over 200 bays and 289 beaches to explore, and the vibrant Cuban capital of Havana.

As mentioned, the large majority of the island is low lying, though there are mountains which extend to 3000 to 6000 feet in the southern parts. In the north is where the terrain is the flattest, and this is where you will find the capital of Havana. Despite the fact that the north coast lies at a lower elevation than the south, the north sees more annual rain than the south coast- due to its location in the path of local prevailing winds. In the hilly parts of the north some years see in excess of 2500 mm of precipitation across the year.

The South East of Cuba is the driest point in the island, which is where you will find the American Naval Base- Guantanamo Bay, which is the part of Cuba that is United States Territory.

Western Cuba is affected in Spring and Winter by the waves of cold air which blow from the United States interior. These cold winds can often cause the mercury to fall below 10 degrees for 1 or 2 day, these are temperatures which are unusually cold for the Caribbean region.

Cuba’s weather is undoubtedly tropical, though tempered by the trade winds that affect the area. On the whole, though variations do occur depending on prevailing winds and elevation, there dry season runs from November to April, and the ‘wet season May to October. The average temperature in peak of ‘winter’ in January is 21 °C and July sees an average temperature of 27 °C.

Cuba lies in the path of hurricanes, though the southern parts of the island are more often affected than the north. September and October is ‘hurricane season’ and is when the destructive and life threatening storms are most likely to hit.

In most recent times Cuba was hit by Hurricane Wilma and Tropical Storm Barry (2007.) Tropical Storm Barry produced heavy rainfall across the west Caribbean Sea, which peaked in Cuba when 200 mm of rainfall was recorded in one hit. Barry actually occurred in June which is unusual as this falls outside the standard ‘hurricane season’

Hurricane Wilma occurred during the 2005 Hurricane season and was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the area. (Atlantic Basin.) The hurricane hit Cuba hard, causing over 350, 000 people to evacuate in Cuba alone and caused $29.1 billion worth of damage across all affected areas.

HAVANA

Starting in the north coast you will find Cuba’s vibrant and electric capital city of Cuba. Home to 2.1 million people in its inner city, Havana is the largest city in both Cuba and all of the Caribbean.

Havana extends predominately westward and southward from the main bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet that then divides into three main harbours: Atarés, Marimelena and Guanabacoa.

Havana basks is a pleasant tropical weather all year round. The position of Havana means that its climate is moderated by the trade winds and the warm offshore currents.

Average daily temperatures in Havana range from 22 °C in the months of January and February to about 28 °C in the midst of summer. You will very rarely see the mercury drop below 10 °C, though cooler days do come when the a for mentioned cool winds from North America blow across the island. See here for a table of average daily temperatures across the year in Havana.

The lowest recorded temperature ever recorded in Cuba are 0.6 °C which occurred in Bainoa, a town that lies in the Havana province. Minimums in Havana very very rarely fall below 10 degrees, and the coldest month across the year is January which sees an average minimum of 14 degrees. Across the rest of the year average minimums will sit between 16 and 22 degrees.

Rainfall will be at its heaviest throughout October and the ‘dry season’ lasts from about February through until April. During February to April there will typically be no more than 4 days of rain for the month, before picking up to 10 days of rain per month come June and through until August, before peaking at 11 days in the wettest month of October which typically sees 173mm of precipitation for the month, compared with 46 mm of precipitation in the driest months of February and March.

As previously mentioned, Cuba’s location in the tropics means that it can be subject to hurricanes, however, because of Havana’s location on the north coast, this means that it is hit much less than areas that lie on the south coast- as the south coast is the area that is more commonly hit by hurricanes.

In saying this, however, July 2005 saw Havana torn about by Hurricane Dennis when on July 8^th 160 km/h winds created violent 10 foot waves which tore over Havana’s sea will and ripped through some of the cities old and derelict buildings. Hurricane Dennis caused damage to at least 5000 homes in the capital and surrounding areas.

Unfortunately, 3 months later saw Havana hit again when in October of the same year Hurricane Wilma caused severe flooding in the coastal regions.

SANTIAGO de CUBA

Santiago de Cuba is the capital of the Santiago de Cuba Province which lies in the south-eastern parts of Cuba. Santiago de Cuba has long been one of the most important cities on the island, second only to Havana, and it is also the second largest.

Santiago is home to about 495 000 people and lies on a bay that is connected to the Caribbean Sea, making it an important sea port.

Santiago, founded in 1514 ,was actually the original capital of the island and lies 780km from the present day capital of Havana.

Santiago is a hilly city home to sloping streets and with the Sierra Maestra mountain range lying in its backdrop. The city boasts monuments and museums that are associated with Cuba's long and painful struggle for national independence.

Santiago famed for its annual carnival and the 80 000 hectare Baconao Park which lies in very close proximity to the city, starting in the city and ended at the beautiful Baconao lagoon. Santiago is in fact the hottest part of the island, seeing average daily temperatures of 32°C

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