Average Weather in The Bottom Caribbean Netherlands

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2. Caribbean Netherlands
3. Saba
4. The Bottom

The climate in The Bottom is hot, oppressive, windy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 75°F to 88°F and is rarely below 72°F or above 90°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.

In The Bottom, 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 The Bottom begins around November 18 and lasts for 5.3 months, ending around April 28. On January 13, the clearest day of the year, the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 81% of the time, and overcast or mostly cloudy 19% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around April 28 and lasts for 6.7 months, ending around November 18. On May 30, the cloudiest day of the year, the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 69% of the time, and clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 31% 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 The Bottom varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 7.1 months, from April 28 to December 1, with a greater than 13% chance of a given day being a wet day. The chance of a wet day peaks at 23% on September 7.

The drier season lasts 4.9 months, from December 1 to April 28. The smallest chance of a wet day is 3% on January 16.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 23% on September 7.

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. The Bottom experiences significant seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

The rainy period of the year lasts for 8.7 months, from April 9 to January 1, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The most rain falls during the 31 days centered around October 21, with an average total accumulation of 2.4 inches.

The rainless period of the year lasts for 3.3 months, from January 1 to April 9. The least rain falls around January 28, with an average total accumulation of 0.2 inches.

The length of the day in The Bottom varies over the course of the year. In 2017, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 5 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 13 hours, 11 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:37 AM on June 3, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 10 minutes later at 6:46 AM on January 19. The earliest sunset is at 5:35 PM on November 23, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 16 minutes later at 6:52 PM on July 6.

Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in The Bottom during 2017.

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 Bottom experiences some seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 11 months, from March 25 to February 16, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 89% of the time. The muggiest day of the year is August 12, with muggy conditions 100% of the time.

The least muggy day of the year is March 6, with muggy conditions 85% of the time.

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 The Bottom experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from May 29 to August 26, with average wind speeds of more than 7.8 miles per hour. The windiest day of the year is July 12, with an average hourly wind speed of 9.1 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 9.1 months, from August 26 to May 29. The calmest day of the year is October 10, with an average hourly wind speed of 6.6 miles per hour.

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

The Bottom 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 3.4 months, from August 2 to November 13, with an average temperature above 83°F. The day of the year with the warmest water is September 30, with an average temperature of 84°F.

The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.0 months, from January 9 to April 10, with an average temperature below 80°F. The day of the year with the coolest water is February 28, with an average temperature of 79°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 2.0 months, from March 7 to May 7, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.6 kWh. The brightest day of the year is April 13, with an average of 7.2 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.7 months, from September 16 to January 6, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.1 kWh. The darkest day of the year is October 31, with an average of 4.6 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of The Bottom are 17.626 deg latitude, -63.249 deg longitude, and 0 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of The Bottom contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,812 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 389 feet. Within 10 miles also contains large variations in elevation (2,815 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (3,451 feet).

The area within 2 miles of The Bottom is covered by water (79%) and trees (14%), within 10 miles by water (99%), and within 50 miles by water (99%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in The Bottom, 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 The Bottom.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and The Bottom 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 The Bottom is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between The Bottom and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: Princess Juliana International Airport (86%, 49 kilometers, north) and Henry E Rohlsen Airport (14%, 166 kilometers, west).

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets , 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 aiports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © Esri, with data from National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, and iPC.