Best time to visit the Exumas: weather, hurricane season and events

The Bahamas has a dry season and a wetter stretch, and the Atlantic hurricane season overlaps part of the wetter stretch. Every monthly number on this page is a Nassau airport figure, used as a stand-in. It is not Exuma data, so treat it as a guide to the pattern and not a forecast for a particular cay.

The seasons in brief

The dry season in the Bahamas extends from November through April¹. Annual rainfall across the country averages 132 centimeters (52 inches) and is usually concentrated in May to June and September to October¹. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30².

Side by side, the pattern is simple. December through April is dry and outside hurricane season^1,2. May and June are wetter, and June opens the hurricane season^1,2. September and October are the second wet period and sit in the storm peak^1,2. If you want the planning pages that build on this, the Exumas trip planner routes you to each one.

Rain by month: Nassau figures

Nassau airport normals give average precipitation for each month¹.

Month	Nassau average rain (mm)
January	491
February	501
March	651
April	631
May	1151
June	2231
July	1501
August	2171
September	1821
October	1371
November	791
December	521
Year	1,3821

January and February are the driest months in the Nassau table, at 49 and 50 mm¹. March and April each stay at or below 65 mm¹. June is the wettest month at 223 mm, with August close behind at 217 mm¹. Every month from May through October is above 100 mm in this table¹.

Temperature by month: Nassau figures

The same Nassau normals list the daily mean temperature by month¹.

Month	Daily mean, Nassau (C / F)
January	21.6 / 70.91
February	21.9 / 71.41
March	22.7 / 72.91
April	23.9 / 75.01
May	25.8 / 78.41
June	27.7 / 81.91
July	28.5 / 83.31
August	28.5 / 83.31

The daily mean climbs from 21.6 C in January to 28.5 C in July and August¹.

Hurricane season

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30². The peak is around September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October².

Most hurricanes in the Bahamas occur between July and October¹. Daily highs run around 31 °C (87.8 °F) in the wet season and around 25 °C (77 °F) in the dry season¹.

That window lines up with the wet end of the Nassau table: August at 217 mm, September at 182 mm and October at 137 mm¹. The hurricane season boating guide covers that side. For day-to-day wind and sea conditions, read weather windows in the Exumas.

April and the regatta

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism lists April’s National Family Island Regatta among the annual events in the Exumas, featuring Bahamian workboats³. April also falls inside the dry season¹, and Nassau’s April average is 63 mm¹. If a dated event matters to your trip, April is the month to build around.

Choosing your window

Use the table below to match what you care about to the months.

If you want	Months to look at	Basis
The least rain	January and February	Nassau’s lowest monthly rain, 49 and 50 mm1
Dry season and no hurricane season	December through April	Dry season is November to April; hurricane season is June 1 to November 301,2
A dated event	April	National Family Island Regatta3
The wettest stretch to avoid	June and August	Nassau’s highest monthly rain, 223 and 217 mm1

Once you have a window, pick a base. The where to stay guide splits lodging between Great Exuma and Staniel Cay, and the boating hub covers the on-the-water side of the trip.