Погода: Кингстон, март

March is the driest month of the Jamaican year and regulars describe it as close to ideal: high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit, a few quick showers that do not last, and what rain there is often falling at night. Our row's 12.4 precipitation days over 57.5mm is under five millimetres a day, which is that description counted rather than contradicted. On spring break they are reassuring in a specific way: the college crowd goes to Negril, not here, so Ocho Rios in March stays a families-and-couples town, with live reggae on and prices at their season high. Our figures are 29.2C over 22.6C reading as 32C. The record: humidity 79 percent, 11 hours of sun, a 27.1C sea and AQI 44.

Forum posters describe July across Jamaica as hot and notably more humid than the December dry season, with humidity often the bigger day-to-day challenge than the raw temperature itself. Posters describe rain this time of year as highly regionalized - it can be pouring in one spot while a couple of miles away stays bright and sunny. Posters are direct that July sits within hurricane season, though an actual direct hit remains a relatively small possibility for any given visit. It's worth noting Kingston itself sits in something of a rain shadow behind the Blue Mountains, running noticeably drier than Jamaica's wetter north coast - consistent with this destination's own climate data showing well under half the rainy days of the island's rainier regions. Posters generally rate July as hot and humid for Kingston specifically, with rain a real but less dominant factor here than on the north coast.

Forum posters count December-February among Jamaica's best-weather months: dry, warm and balmy, with the ocean genuinely swimmable and generally lower humidity than the wetter months. Regulars are careful to note real regional variation across the island - the north coast tends to see more rain, cloud and wind at this time of year, while the south coast (where Kingston sits) runs sunnier, hotter and just occasionally breezy. One wrinkle worth knowing: because Jamaica sits close to the North Eastern US storm track, a big winter storm passing offshore can push in higher seas, wind and cooler temperatures even during this otherwise dry, sunny stretch.