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Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Montego Bay Jamaica

The climate in Montego Bay is hot, oppressive, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 73°F to 89°F and is rarely below 71°F or above 91°F.

Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit Montego Bay for hot-weather activities is from mid December to mid April.

Climate in Montego Bay

warmhotwarmJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNowNow81%81%20%20%clearovercastprecipitation: 5.7 inprecipitation: 5.7 in0.7 in0.7 inmuggy: 100%muggy: 100%90%90%beach/pool score: 8.4beach/pool score: 8.44.04.0
Montego Bay weather by month. Click on each chart for more information.

The temperature in Montego Bay varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.

Average High and Low Temperature in Montego Bay

Average High and Low Temperature in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°F90°F90°F100°F100°FFeb 1683°FFeb 1683°FAug 189°FAug 189°F73°F73°F78°F78°FJun 788°FJun 788°FSep 2988°FSep 2988°FDec 1184°FDec 1184°FMar 1984°FMar 1984°F77°F77°F77°F77°F75°F75°F74°F74°FNowNow
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
AverageJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High 83°F83°F84°F85°F86°F88°F89°F89°F88°F87°F85°F84°F
Temp. 78°F78°F79°F80°F81°F83°F83°F83°F82°F82°F81°F79°F
Low 74°F73°F74°F75°F77°F78°F78°F78°F78°F77°F76°F75°F

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in Montego Bay

Average Hourly Temperature in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMNowNowcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Recife, Brazil (3,462 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Montego Bay (view comparison).

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In Montego Bay, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Montego Bay begins around November 18 and lasts for 5.7 months, ending around May 9.

The clearest month of the year in Montego Bay is February, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 80% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around May 9 and lasts for 6.3 months, ending around November 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Montego Bay is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 78% of the time.

Cloud Cover Categories in Montego Bay

Cloud Cover Categories in Montego BayclearerclearercloudierJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%Jan 3081%Jan 3081%Jun 1320%Jun 1320%Nov 1850%Nov 1850%May 951%May 951%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.
FractionJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Cloudier 21%20%21%33%58%78%74%75%77%71%51%32%
Clearer 79%80%79%67%42%22%26%25%23%29%49%68%

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Montego Bay varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 6.1 months, from May 12 to November 14, with a greater than 33% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Montego Bay is September, with an average of 15.2 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.9 months, from November 14 to May 12. The month with the fewest wet days in Montego Bay is January, with an average of 3.9 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Montego Bay is September, with an average of 15.2 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 54% on September 27.

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Montego Bay

Daily Chance of Precipitation in Montego BaywetdrydryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Sep 2754%Sep 2754%Dec 2611%Dec 2611%May 1233%May 1233%Nov 1433%Nov 1433%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).
Days ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rain 3.9d3.8d5.1d5.2d11.0d11.7d10.1d12.2d15.2d14.1d9.2d4.6d

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Montego Bay experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Montego Bay. The month with the most rain in Montego Bay is September, with an average rainfall of 5.1 inches.

The month with the least rain in Montego Bay is January, with an average rainfall of 0.7 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in Montego Bay

Average Monthly Rainfall in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 in0 in2 in2 in4 in4 in6 in6 in8 in8 in10 in10 in12 in12 in14 in14 inSep 295.7 inSep 295.7 inJan 90.7 inJan 90.7 inMay 294.8 inMay 294.8 inJul 182.1 inJul 182.1 inNowNow
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Rainfall 0.7″0.9″1.0″1.3″4.0″3.8″2.1″2.9″5.1″5.0″3.3″1.1″

The length of the day in Montego Bay varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 14 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Montego Bay

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hr12 hr, 6 minMar 1912 hr, 6 minMar 1913 hr, 14 minJun 2013 hr, 14 minJun 2012 hr, 8 minSep 2212 hr, 8 minSep 2211 hr, 1 minDec 2111 hr, 1 minDec 21nightnightdayNowNow
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.
Hours ofJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight 11.2h11.5h12.1h12.6h13.0h13.2h13.1h12.7h12.2h11.7h11.3h11.0h

The earliest sunrise is at 5:34 AM on June 4, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 13 minutes later at 6:46 AM on January 19. The earliest sunset is at 5:33 PM on November 24, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 19 minutes later at 6:52 PM on July 4.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Montego Bay during 2024.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Montego Bay

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM2 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMJun 45:34 AMJun 45:34 AM6:52 PMJul 46:52 PMJul 4Nov 245:33 PMNov 245:33 PM6:46 AMJan 196:46 AMJan 19daynightnightSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Montego Bay

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec12 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AM000010101010202020203030303040404040505050606070708000001010101020202020303030304040404050505050606060707080804890NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in Montego Bay

The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The perceived humidity level in Montego Bay, as measured by the percentage of time in which the humidity comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable, does not vary significantly over the course of the year, staying within 5% of 95% throughout.

Humidity Comfort Levels in Montego Bay

Humidity Comfort Levels in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%Mar 990%Mar 990%100%Oct 6100%Oct 6NowNowmiserablemiserableoppressiveoppressivemuggymuggyhumidhumid
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Muggy days 28.7d26.5d28.6d29.1d30.7d30.0d31.0d31.0d30.0d31.0d29.6d29.2d

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Montego Bay experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 4.7 months, from November 3 to March 25, with average wind speeds of more than 11.5 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Montego Bay is December, with an average hourly wind speed of 13.3 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 7.3 months, from March 25 to November 3. The calmest month of the year in Montego Bay is September, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.7 miles per hour.

Average Wind Speed in Montego Bay

Average Wind Speed in Montego BaywindywindyJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mph16 mph16 mph18 mph18 mphDec 2113.5 mphDec 2113.5 mphOct 29.4 mphOct 29.4 mphMar 2511.5 mphMar 2511.5 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wind Speed (mph) 13.112.711.810.811.413.012.711.19.710.112.313.3

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Montego Bay is from the east throughout the year.

Wind Direction in Montego Bay

Wind Direction in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%NowNoweastnorthsouth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Montego Bay is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.1 months, from July 24 to October 28, with an average temperature above 84°F. The month of the year in Montego Bay with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 85°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.2 months, from January 4 to April 10, with an average temperature below 81°F. The month of the year in Montego Bay with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 80°F.

Average Water Temperature in Montego Bay

Average Water Temperature in Montego BaywarmcoolJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec78°F78°F79°F79°F80°F80°F81°F81°F82°F82°F83°F83°F84°F84°F85°F85°F86°F86°F87°F87°FSep 885°FSep 885°F80°FFeb 2380°FFeb 23Jul 2484°FJul 2484°FOct 2884°FOct 2884°FJan 481°FJan 481°FApr 1081°FApr 1081°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
WaterJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Temperature 81°F80°F80°F81°F83°F83°F84°F85°F85°F85°F83°F82°F

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Montego Bay throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Montego Bay for general outdoor tourist activities is from late December to late March, with a peak score in the last week of January.

Tourism Score in Montego Bay

Tourism Score in Montego Baybest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810107.07.02.72.72.82.8NowNowtemperaturetemperature cloudscloudsprecipitationprecipitationtourism score
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Montego Bay for hot-weather activities is from mid December to mid April, with a peak score in the last week of January.

Beach/Pool Score in Montego Bay

Beach/Pool Score in Montego Baybest timeJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec002244668810108.48.44.04.04.24.2NowNowtemperaturetemperatureprecipitationprecipitationbeach/pool score
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

Temperatures in Montego Bay are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Montego Bay

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%100%Jan 1100%Jan 1100%Jul 2100%Jul 2NowNowcomfortablewarmhot
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Growing Degree Days in Montego Bay

Growing Degree Days in Montego BayJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0°F0°F2,000°F2,000°F4,000°F4,000°F6,000°F6,000°F8,000°F8,000°F10,000°F10,000°FJan 490°FJan 490°FMar 61,800°FMar 61,800°FDec 3111,088°FDec 3111,088°FNowNow
The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of the year, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.0 months, from March 7 to May 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.6 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Montego Bay is April, with an average of 7.1 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 6.0 months, from July 1 to January 2, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.8 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Montego Bay is September, with an average of 4.4 kWh.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Montego Bay

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in Montego BaybrightdarkJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec0 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhApr 117.1 kWhApr 117.1 kWhSep 274.2 kWhSep 274.2 kWhJul 14.8 kWhJul 14.8 kWhJan 24.8 kWhJan 24.8 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Solar Energy (kWh) 5.15.96.87.16.14.94.74.74.44.44.64.7

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Montego Bay are 18.471 deg latitude, -77.919 deg longitude, and 39 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Montego Bay contains significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 712 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 131 feet. Within 10 miles contains significant variations in elevation (1,985 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (3,291 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Montego Bay is covered by grassland (30%), water (25%), cropland (22%), and trees (13%), within 10 miles by water (47%) and trees (26%), and within 50 miles by water (74%) and trees (13%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Montego Bay, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Montego Bay.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Montego Bay according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Montego Bay is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Montego Bay and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Montego Bay and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page.