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Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, sits on New Providence Island in the northwestern Caribbean, on a low coral island in the Atlantic just off the coast of Florida, at approximately 25.06°N, 77.35°W. It has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) bordering on humid subtropical — warm to hot and humid year-round, cooled by trade winds — with a wet season and a drier, slightly cooler season, and it lies squarely within the Atlantic hurricane belt.
The wet season, from May to October, is hot and humid, with highs around 31–32°C and warm nights, tempered by sea breezes and the trade winds. Frequent afternoon showers and thunderstorms bring the bulk of the year's rain, and this season coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season, when the low-lying islands are exposed to powerful storms — Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas in 2019.
The drier season, from November to April, is warm, sunny and pleasant, with highs around 25–27°C and comfortable nights near 18–20°C, occasionally cooler when cold fronts push down from North America. Humidity is lower, rain is much reduced, and the steady trade winds keep the air fresh — comfortably the best time of year and the peak tourist season.
Nassau receives on the order of 1,300–1,400 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the wet season from May to October, with a peak around June and September, while the winter months are markedly drier; even the wettest months bring sunshine between the showers. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Hurricanes are the defining hazard of Nassau's climate: lying low in the Atlantic hurricane belt, the Bahamas are highly exposed to storms between June and November, which can bring destructive winds, storm surge and flooding to the flat coral islands. For the rest of the year, steady trade winds and the surrounding warm ocean give the city a mild, sunny, breezy climate that underpins its tourism.
To follow any single measurement in Nassau more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.