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Saint George’s month by month
Figures from Maurice Bishop airport for 1991-2020: around 1,152 mm a year, highs from 29.7 to 31.3 °C and lows from 23.3 to 25.4 °C. It is one of the least rainy Caribbean capitals.
01 Twelve degrees of latitude
Grenada sits at about twelve degrees north, at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles arc. Atlantic cyclones tend to form and travel above that line, so the island usually stays clear of the main tracks.
That position shows in total rainfall too. The capital receives around 1,152 mm a year, a low figure for the eastern Caribbean: considerably less than Roseau, in Dominica, or San Juan. It is a green island, but not a drenched one.
02 The long dry season
From January to May the island genuinely dries out. March drops to about 26 mm for the entire month, February to 39 and April to 36. These are dry-destination figures, with constant sun, calm sea and excellent visibility underwater.
Temperature, meanwhile, does not move: highs run from 29.7 to 31.3 °C and lows from 23.3 to 25.4 °C. A degree and a half separates the coolest month from the hottest. Nobody picks dates by the thermometer here, as elsewhere on the arc.
03 The 2004 exception
In September 2004 Hurricane Ivan passed directly over Grenada. It was the worst episode of its recent history: it damaged or destroyed the great majority of the country’s homes, tore off the capital’s roofs and flattened much of the nutmeg plantation, the crop the island lived from.
Reconstruction took years and drew on international aid; the country was ready in time to host matches of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The nutmeg trees, however, take almost a decade to bear again, so the agricultural recovery was far slower than the urban one.
The practical point for you is simple: the probability of being caught by a cyclone here is lower than elsewhere in the Antilles, but it is not zero, and when it happens the effect is total. If you travel between June and November, take out insurance and watch the advisories.
04 How it rains on the island
Wet-season rain comes in showers: cloud builds over the mountainous interior and unloads for a while, mostly in the afternoon. It rarely ruins a whole day on the coast, and the monthly figures, between 122 and 164 mm, are moderate compared with the northern islands.
Where it does show is inland. The Grand Etang heights receive far more water than the capital and can sit inside cloud while the harbour is sunny. If you plan to walk there, count on mud almost year-round.
Key moments at a glance
Between 26 and 64 mm a month and cyclone season closed.
About 53 mm, with fewer people and lower prices.
Near-daily showers and open cyclone risk.
About 105 mm, but the season closed on 30 November.
05 Verdict
Go between January and April, and if you can choose, in March. It is the driest month of the year, with a calm sea, the best diving visibility and hurricane season closed for four months.
May is the secret: almost as dry, with fewer visitors and more reasonable prices. From June to November the island works perfectly well and you will see fewer people, but expect afternoon showers and travel with slack and insurance.
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