Meteo Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) in gennaio

Punta Cana's forum calls January about as reliable as it gets — hurricane season long over, warm sun most days — with regulars noting it can run a touch windier than the winter months that follow. Most trips see no more than a couple of rain days the whole stay.

Regulars are specific that although this technically starts the island's rainy season, showers tend to be strong but short-lived and windfree, often arriving overnight rather than during the day and leaving most daytime plans untouched. Our row backs that hot, genuinely wet read, 31.2C reading as a hot 37C, over 23.9C nights, with 68.4mm of rain across 16.2 days and humidity at 79 percent. Regulars are consistent this also marks the start of hurricane season, though a direct impact on this specific area during summer is described as uncommon rather than a regular concern. Most regulars report genuinely good, mostly dry days overall despite the rainy-season label. The sea sits at a warm, swimmable 29.1C. The record: 11.8 hours of sun, an 18.1 kph wind and AQI 48.

April sits on a hinge this board watches closely. Sargassum is generally not a problem from about November through April, and turns bad from roughly the end of April into November - so early April is the safer half of the month and late April is the gamble. They are honest that nobody can predict it: it changes daily, some stretches of coast get it while others nearby get none, and the resorts that rake at dawn have it cleared before most guests are out. The weather is the easy part - 29.8C reading as 34C at 76.7 percent humidity, over 22C nights, with a 27C sea. They call December to April the dry season, though our row still counts 13.1 rainy days for only 71.6mm: short showers rather than a wet month. The record: 11.2 hours of sun, an 18.1 kph wind and AQI 40.

December is one of the months regulars recommend and the reason is not only the weather. The wind comes from the north-east now, so sargassum rafts rarely reach these beaches and the little that does is cleared quickly - the seaweed is a summer problem here, not a winter one. On the sky they report mid-80s days, nights in the 60s and 70s, and humidity noticeably lower, with the odd five or ten minute shower. Our row says the same: 29.6C over 21.8C and 50.6mm spread across 15.2 days, three millimetres each. The trade wind that keeps the beaches clean reads 19.4 kph. The record: humidity 77 percent, 10.2 hours of sun and a 27.5C sea.

February is the coolest and windiest month of the Punta Cana year, which regulars are quick to say still means high-80s Fahrenheit days, mid-70s nights and water warm enough for both the pool and the sea - our row's 26.3C. The wind is the trade-off: February and March are breezy, and since the Christmas winds run from December to late January, the back half of February is often calmer than the front. What February does not have is the thing people now ask about first. Sargassum is a summer problem here and is seldom an issue in winter or spring, which makes this one of the best months to book if the seaweed is what worries you. The record: 29C days that feel like 32C, 21.2C nights, 13 precipitation days carrying just 38.2mm and 10.6 hours of sun.