Het weer in Bridgetown (Barbados) in december

Regulars are specific this marks the start of the dry season here, running through to around June, with the rainy season itself ending on November 30th - any rain that does fall this month typically a quick, short-lived shower rather than a settled wet day. Our row backs that hot, genuinely wet read, 29.7C reading as a hot 31C, over 24.8C nights feeling 25C, with 54mm of rain across 14.5 days and a real 31.9 kph wind. Regulars are consistent this counts as the most popular window to visit precisely because of the calmer weather, nighttime humidity noticeably lower than the wetter months of May or June even as daytime temperatures stay warm. The sea sits at a bath-warm 28C. The record: 10.2 hours of sun, humidity 77 percent and AQI 40.

Regulars describe this month as reliably hot and sunny with little rain, sitting just ahead of hurricane season's June start and not yet carrying the heavier humidity that builds later in summer. Our row backs the warm, breezy read, 30.7C reading as a real 33C, over 25.9C nights, with 36.2mm of rain across 9.7 days and a real 31.7 kph trade wind. Regulars note the wind pattern isn't uniform across the island - one thread describes weather systems that clear the north and west coasts sometimes missing the south coast entirely, worth knowing when picking a base. The sea holds a warm 28.1C. The record: humidity 76 percent, 11.5 hours of sun and AQI 53.

January sits in the dry season and regulars rate it among the best months, with rain arriving as short sharp showers - often overnight - rather than as weather. Our row agrees in the way these islands usually do: 37.1mm across 13.4 days is under three millimetres each. What they raise unprompted is wind. The January Winds are a named local expectation, the trades come in from the east-northeast, and our 32 kph average is the highest in this batch. It decides where to swim: the east coast is open Atlantic, superb to look at and dangerous in most places, while the west is calm almost always with narrower beaches. The record: 29C over 24C nights, 10.3 hours of sun and a 26.8C sea.

Asked whether April is too hot, Barbados regulars answer that the island barely moves: rarely above 31C by day and rarely below 23C at night, all year. Our row's 30.2C over 25C is that, reading as 33C in the humidity, with the trades at 30.2 kph doing most of the cooling. April's own advantages are two. The sea is warming into its good stretch - ours is 27.1C - and the calendar turns: after about the 15th, accommodation prices drop as the low season begins, with the beaches already fairly quiet and the humidity not yet at its summer level. Rain is light at 36.6mm across 7.6 days, showers rather than weather. The record: 11.4 hours of sun, 12.4 hours of daylight and AQI 53.

February is the middle of the Barbadian dry season and the forum's description is consistent: 28 to 30C, low humidity, long sunshine and the occasional passing shower rather than a wet day. The trade winds are part of the appeal rather than a nuisance now - regulars specifically say February is not the windy time of year, which runs June to November - and calmer seas come with the drier months. The catch is company and price: this is peak season outside Christmas, hotels book far ahead and rates reflect it. The record: 29.2C days, 23.8C nights, 9.4 precipitation days but only 23mm between them, 10.7 hours of sun, a 26.5C sea and a 33.5 kph trade wind.