Best Time to Go to Aruba Depends on Weather

Aruba weather makes this southern Caribbean island one of the most attractive vacation spots in the region.

That's because Aruba lies outside of the Caribbean hurricane belt. The annual hurricane season officially starts June 1 and runs through November 30, although the months with the most active storms and hurricanes usually are September and October.

Aruba lies 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela, and it is one of the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. These islands of the Netherland Antilles draw relatively more tourists in the fall than most other Caribbean destinations because of weather conditions.

But they are not entirely immune to bad weather because storms and hurricanes do pass nearby - and sometimes through - these three islands on rare occasions.

Aruba climate is one of the warmest in the Caribbean with an average monthly high temperature of nearly 89 degrees Fahrenheit, says the Meteorological Service of Netherland Antilles and Aruba.

The average monthly high temperatures rise above 90 degrees in August and September, making those two months less comfortable for shopping or hiking.

The average low temperature is 78 degrees and varies from this average only about two degrees each month.

For people who like swimming and sunning, the sea temperature averages 81 degrees and again varies slightly each month. Even during the winter, the water is warm enough for swimming.

Rain is not normally a factor because the island is arid and averages only 16 inches a year. Rainfall reaches about 2.5 inches in October and December and more than three inches in November, but the totals are still low compared to the rest of the region.

For January through September, rain averages only about one inch a month.

Despite only a modest climb in rain in September, Aruba has a steep dropoff in visits because of the fear of Caribbean hurricanes.

Vacation planners who want to improve their chances of good weather should look at January through July because of comfortable temperatures and lower chances of rain, storms or hurricanes.

August and September will be more uncomfortable because of warmer temperatures, while October, November and December have elevated chances of rain and the infrequent chance of either a tropical storm or hurricane.

Visitors can rely on Aruba weather to be warm throughout the year. But they can't always count on avoiding storms and hurricanes, especially in the fall.