Climate Saint Martin
A marvel of mildness all year round! Saint-Martin's climate is enviable, with an average temperature of 28°C. The climate is much drier than that of Guadeloupe and Martinique further south. Peaks of 32°C and rarely below 20°C. However, in mid-December and early January, temperatures can fall below 20°C overnight. Saint-Martin enjoys a dry tropical climate (as evidenced by occasional water shortages). Sea temperatures are around 25 to 27°C, ideal for water sports and lounging. An idyllic climate for holidays, but one that can also be subject to the vagaries of the weather, such as cyclones. We all remember Irma in 2017, which remains one of the most spectacular and devastating. The island is adapting to the vagaries of the weather and is gradually becoming aware of the need to protect and safeguard its environment.
The rhythm of the seasons
We can appreciate two seasons: a dry season, called Lent (December to May); a second, warmer and wetter season, called Wintering (June to October). During the autumn months in mainland France (late October, November, early December), the Caribbean is humid, very humid, and the level of precipitation is very high, but regular. It rains every day, or every night, in small or large showers. Even if the temperature is mild, you certainly won't suffer from the drought, and the sound of rain continuously pouring down on tin roofs soon becomes a haunting melody. June and October are transitional months. Showers and rains can be damaging, but there's no comparison with cyclones, the swords of Damocles. Don't forget that in the tropics, the day rises early (between 5 and 6 a.m.) and sets early (between 5.30 and 6.30 p.m.).
Climatic seasons associated with tourism seasonality
The dry season from December to May is the peak tourist season. During this period, prices are at their highest and tourists are flocking in. The rest of the year, from mid-April to mid-December, is the off-peak period, when European holidaymakers shun the destination because the weather at home is fine and there are many less remote destinations to choose from. The wintering period from June to November corresponds to the quieter tourist season and the cyclone season.
Living with tropical depressions and cyclones
Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons all describe the same meteorological phenomenon. Their names change according to geographical location. In the Atlantic and North Pacific, meteorologists speak of "hurricanes" (named after the wind god Huracan in Mayan mythology). In the Caribbean, however, we speak of both cyclones and hurricanes, which are not uncommon between June and November. The most incredible ever was Irma in 2017, with its scars still visible seven years later. It remains fresh in everyone's memory, and with good reason. It was the most devastating cyclone in centuries. On the night of September 5 to 6, 2017, it swept away 95% of the island with unprecedented violence. St Martin's buildings are solid, but nothing can withstand 350 km/h winds! Water seeped in everywhere, roofs flew off, roads were flooded by the waves... Not to mention cars, boats and all the material goods that lined the streets. Nature also suffered an extreme shockwave: beaches saw their faces metamorphosed, and the coast still bears the scars of this fragility, as in Grand-Case where the beach sand was washed away by the waves. The seabed and coral have been badly damaged. Nature has reclaimed its rights, sometimes even over man-made structures such as houses built too close to the shoreline..
