Best time to visit Cuba: dry season and hurricanes

Cuba is warm all year, but it has two clear seasons. From about November to April it is dry, sunny and pleasantly warm, with cooler evenings in Havana. From May to October it is hot and humid, with heavy afternoon showers, and from June to November the island lies in the Atlantic hurricane belt. Because the island is long and narrow, the pattern is similar from Havana in the west to Santiago de Cuba in the east, with the south-east a little warmer in winter. We analysed the weather from 2015 to 2024 at four places.

The short answer

• Best time: December to April. Dry, sunny, 26 to 31 °C by day in Havana, warm enough for the beach.
• Driest months: February and March, with 22 to 31 mm of rain in Havana and Varadero.
• Rainy season: May to October. Hot at 31 to 33 °C, with short, heavy showers; more rain in Trinidad and Varadero than in Havana.
• Hurricane season: June to November, peak in September. Most years pass without a direct hit, but storms can disrupt travel.

Cuba's climate: all 12 months

Temperature and rain: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. A grid cell is about 25 km wide. Tropical downpours are very local, and a model this coarse tends to smooth them out: the summer rain totals here are probably on the low side. Treat them as a rough guide – the contrast between the dry and the rainy season is reliable.

Havana is mildest in January at 26.6 °C by day and around 20 °C at night; from June to September the days reach 31 to 33 °C and the nights stay at about 25 °C.

The dry season from December to April stands out clearly with 22 to 42 mm a month. From May the rain picks up, with the wettest months in June and September.

Cuba month by month

December to February

The high season. Havana is warm at 26 to 28 °C by day and pleasantly cool in the evening; when a cold front passes, a jacket is useful for a night out. The sea at Varadero is fine for swimming, if a little fresher than in summer. Christmas, New Year and February are the busiest weeks.

March and April

Still dry, but noticeably warmer at 29 to 31 °C. This is a very good time for a round trip from Havana via the Viñales valley to Trinidad, with long sunny days and little rain. Around Easter, many Cubans travel too.

May to October

The rainy season. It is hot at 31 to 33 °C and humid; rain usually falls in short, heavy afternoon showers, so mornings often stay dry. May and June are the first wet months; September and October bring the highest totals in Trinidad and Varadero. Prices are lower and there are fewer travellers, but the hurricane season overlaps with most of these months.

November

The transition month. Rain decreases, the heat eases to around 28 to 29 °C, and it is still before the busy winter weeks. Hurricanes are possible until the end of the month, but rarer than in September and October.

Hurricane season

The official Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, with its peak around 10 September, according to the US National Hurricane Center. The UK travel advice for Cuba also gives June to November and warns that heavy rain often causes flash floods and landslides, and that flights may be delayed or cancelled. After Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, power, communications and water supplies in the east of the island were still severely affected, according to the same source. If you travel in late summer or autumn, follow the forecasts and keep some flexibility in your plans.

A classic round trip

Most trips begin in Havana with Old Havana and its fortifications, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Malecón. To the west lies the Viñales valley with its tobacco fields and limestone hills; to the east, the colonial towns of Cienfuegos and Trinidad, the latter also a World Heritage Site together with the nearby Valley de los Ingenios. Many trips end with a few days on the beach at Varadero. The east around Santiago de Cuba is a long way from Havana and is easier to combine with a domestic flight. You can travel by long-distance bus, private taxi or hire car^*; according to the UK travel advice, fuel shortages can make longer drives difficult. Comparing the Caribbean? See also the best time to visit the Dominican Republic and the best time to visit Mexico.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

In YesTrip you plan Havana, Viñales, Trinidad and Varadero day by day on one map, so the long transfers between them are clear in advance. Before you go, you can download the offline package with the maps of your places – useful in a country where mobile data is not always available. The forecast for your travel days shows when afternoon showers are likely, and the packing list suggests sun protection, a light rain jacket and a plug adapter. Travelling as a group, you share the trip and log shared expenses like taxis and casas particulares.

Before you go

• Entry: Check the current entry rules for British citizens on gov.uk before you travel.
• Time: Cuba is usually 5 hours behind the UK.
• Power: 110 and 220 volts are both in use; sockets are type A/B (US style) and C (European style), so bring an adapter.
• Mobile data: coverage outside the cities is patchy, so save maps and bookings offline before you leave.

More destinations by month: Best time to visit: where to go when.

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