Today's weather for Guardalavaca, Cuba25th Nov 2009 16:50

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Weather Overview for Guardalavaca

Guardalavaca lies on the northeast coast of Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean. The town lies on the Bahia Naranjo (Orange Bay). The climate is tropical with high temperatures year round. The seasons are dictated by rainfall.

The average temperature ranges from 21ºC in January to 27ºC in the summer months. The average high temperature, occurring in the daytime, ranges from 25ºC to 31ºC. The temperatures are tempered somewhat by the trade winds. These winds generally ensure an absence on the northeast coast of the island where Guardalavaca lies.

Rainfall occurs mainly in the wet season months between May and October. Annually rainfall averages around 1200mm and more than 70% of this falls in the wet season. Lying on the north coast of Cuba, Guardalavaca sees a little more rainfall than towns on the south coast although not as much as the hilly areas of the island that can see double the amount.

DRY SEASON:

November to April is classed as the dry season in Guardalavaca. Low rainfall and moderate heat combine to produce idyllic conditions. This is the best and most popular time to visit.

From December to February are the coolest months with average temperatures between 21ºC and 22ºC. The season sees average highs of 25ºC to 26ºC and lows around 17ºC to 18ºC.

After February it gets steadily hotter in the build up to the beginning of the rains in May. The end of the dry season sees daily highs climbing towards 30ºC.

This is a tropical location so there is rainfall in dry season – between 45mm and 70mm per month. You generally see rain on around 6 or 7 days a month during dry season, but it falls in short, torrential downpours. It can be overcast or hazy but sunshine levels increase throughout the season from an average of 5 hours per day in November to 7 in April.

The sea is always warm enough for swimming. The lowest sea temperature occurs between January and March when it falls to 26ºC.

WET SEASON:

The months from May to October make up the wet season. It is also the hottest time of year with daily highs regularly in the low 30s.

Rainfall is unpredictable at this time of year and varies year on year but you should always be prepared for a downpour. More than 160mm of rain falls in some months. The beginning and the end of the wet season usually see the highest rainfall. Rain falls on around 12 days each month in torrential downpours and sometimes quite violent storms.

Temperatures are steadily boiling throughout wet season, averaging around 27ºC with highs in the low 30s and lows in the low 20s. This is made to feel even hotter by the high humidity.

Guardalavaca lies in the Caribbean hurricane zone and can occasionally be threatened by these tropical cyclones. Thankfully for Guardalavaca it lies on Cuba’s north coast which is generally less vulnerable than the south. September and October are the main hurricane months although they can strike from June to November. Most hotels are well prepared for the event of a hurricane and are built to withstand the storms.

Direct hurricane hits are quite rare but the island can be troubled by close misses that bring fierce wind and rain to the island. The last hurricane to hit the region was Hurricane Wilma in 2005. This was a particularly strong one and showed just what damage hurricanes can do; 350,000 Cubans had to be evacuated across the island and the storm caused nearly $30 billion worth of damage.

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