Driest climate
Apr 22nd, 2004 | 12:18 PM
#3
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,189
Likes: 0
Bonaire and Curacao! 
None are as dry as the ABC islands (Aruba gets about 16 inches of rainfall per year).
Keep in mind that referring to a single rainfall total for an island is usually misleading. Especially on mountainous islands, there will often be higher rainfall on one side and lower on the other depending on how the weather approaches the island.
Also keep in mind that many islands have very distinct rainy seasons.
Antigua is a good example. It is one of the driest islands in the Caribbean. It receives 39 inches of rain per year on average, but only 10% of that rain falls from January through April, and 50% of the annual rain comes during the few big storms that pass over the island yearly.
The northern part of the island is much drier than the southwestern part. The rainfall totals come from the airport station (in the northeast) so that number isn't applicable to all the resort areas on the island. And Jumby Bay island just to the east of Antigua gets much less rain than Antigua itself.
So to answer your question, Aruba is the driest island you'll find in the Caribbean. Other relatively dry islands are Antigua and Barbuda, parts of Turks/Caicos (Grand Turk Island), parts of the Bahamas. Most of the other islands are in the 50-65 inches of rainfall territory.
None are as dry as the ABC islands (Aruba gets about 16 inches of rainfall per year).
Keep in mind that referring to a single rainfall total for an island is usually misleading. Especially on mountainous islands, there will often be higher rainfall on one side and lower on the other depending on how the weather approaches the island.
Also keep in mind that many islands have very distinct rainy seasons.
Antigua is a good example. It is one of the driest islands in the Caribbean. It receives 39 inches of rain per year on average, but only 10% of that rain falls from January through April, and 50% of the annual rain comes during the few big storms that pass over the island yearly.
The northern part of the island is much drier than the southwestern part. The rainfall totals come from the airport station (in the northeast) so that number isn't applicable to all the resort areas on the island. And Jumby Bay island just to the east of Antigua gets much less rain than Antigua itself.
So to answer your question, Aruba is the driest island you'll find in the Caribbean. Other relatively dry islands are Antigua and Barbuda, parts of Turks/Caicos (Grand Turk Island), parts of the Bahamas. Most of the other islands are in the 50-65 inches of rainfall territory.
Apr 22nd, 2004 | 03:40 PM
#6
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
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LOL...I don't think I was the one that said lush. St. John is mountainous with valleys and lots of small bays/coves that have beaches, some with sand, some with shells & coral, some rocky. As far as vegetation goes, there are shady forest like areas with trees & ferns to hike through as well as arid areas like Ram's Head near Salt Pond Bay where lots of cacti grow and flourish. There aren't tropical rainforest type areas.
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Apr 22nd, 2004 | 04:19 PM
#8
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,189
Likes: 0
St. John is widely regarded as a 'lush' island. It averages 50-55 inches of rain per year, but some of the northern forest areas get 70" and some of the southern dry areas get as little as 20".
There is no standard and specific definition of the term rainforest. Some resources describe parts of St. John's north central forests as rainforest. That's up for debate.
Suffice it to say that in general St. John is more lush than most of the islands in the Caribbean.
There is no standard and specific definition of the term rainforest. Some resources describe parts of St. John's north central forests as rainforest. That's up for debate.
Suffice it to say that in general St. John is more lush than most of the islands in the Caribbean.
