Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Sint Maarten Sint Maarten

The climate in Sint Maarten is hot, oppressive, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 74°F to 88°F and is rarely below 72°F or above 91°F.

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

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

In Sint Maarten, 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 Sint Maarten begins around November 18 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around April 27.

The clearest month of the year in Sint Maarten is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 81% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 27 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around November 18.

The cloudiest month of the year in Sint Maarten is September, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 65% of the time.

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

The wetter season lasts 7.0 months, from May 1 to December 3, with a greater than 12% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Sint Maarten is September, with an average of 6.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 5.0 months, from December 3 to May 1. The month with the fewest wet days in Sint Maarten is March, with an average of 1.1 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 Sint Maarten is September, with an average of 6.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 22% on October 24.

Rainfall

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. Sint Maarten experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 8.8 months, from April 7 to December 31, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in Sint Maarten is October, with an average rainfall of 2.4 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from December 31 to April 7. The month with the least rain in Sint Maarten is February, with an average rainfall of 0.2 inches.

The length of the day in Sint Maarten varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 3 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 13 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:35 AM on June 4, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 11 minutes later at 6:46 AM on January 19. The earliest sunset is at 5:34 PM on November 24, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 18 minutes later at 6:52 PM on July 5.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in Sint Maarten during 2024.

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.

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.

Sint Maarten experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from March 25 to February 17, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 87% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Sint Maarten is August, with 31.0 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Sint Maarten is February, with 25.3 days that are muggy or worse.

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 Sint Maarten experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from May 31 to August 27, with average wind speeds of more than 14.5 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Sint Maarten is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 16.5 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 9.1 months, from August 27 to May 31. The calmest month of the year in Sint Maarten is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.5 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Sint Maarten is from the east throughout the year.

Sint Maarten 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 3.5 months, from July 28 to November 12, with an average temperature above 83°F. The month of the year in Sint Maarten with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.0 months, from January 10 to April 11, with an average temperature below 80°F. The month of the year in Sint Maarten with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 79°F.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Sint Maarten 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 Sint Maarten for general outdoor tourist activities is from late December to late March, with a peak score in the second week of February.

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 Sint Maarten for hot-weather activities is from early December to mid April, with a peak score in the third week of January.

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 Sint Maarten 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.

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.

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 1.9 months, from March 7 to May 5, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.7 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Sint Maarten is April, with an average of 7.1 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.8 months, from September 16 to January 8, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Sint Maarten is October, with an average of 4.7 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Sint Maarten are 18.042 deg latitude, -63.067 deg longitude, and 23 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Sint Maarten contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,260 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 223 feet. Within 10 miles also contains very significant variations in elevation (1,385 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (3,451 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Sint Maarten is covered by grassland (41%), trees (27%), and water (18%), within 10 miles by water (91%), and within 50 miles by water (99%).