Punta Cana climate
Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 649 mm26 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Punta Cana climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2679 | 2578 | 2678 | 381.5 |
| Feb | 2679 | 2577 | 2578 | 261.0 |
| Mar | 2679 | 2577 | 2578 | 261.0 |
| Apr | 2680 | 2678 | 2679 | 461.8 |
| May | 2781 | 2680 | 2780 | 753.0 |
| Jun | 2883 | 2781 | 2882 | 502.0 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2882 | 2882 | 552.2 |
| Aug | 2984 | 2882 | 2883 | 672.6 |
| Sep | 2984 | 2882 | 2883 | 742.9 |
| Oct | 2983 | 2882 | 2883 | 682.7 |
| Nov | 2882 | 2781 | 2781 | 793.1 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2679 | 2780 | 461.8 |
| Year | 2984 | 2577 | 2781 | 64926 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 77% | 36% | 4.6 | 11:07 |
| Feb | 77% | 33% | 5.3 | 11:31 |
| Mar | 78% | 35% | 5.9 | 11:59 |
| Apr | 80% | 40% | 6.3 | 12:33 |
| May | 81% | 54% | 6.1 | 13:00 |
| Jun | 81% | 53% | 6.1 | 13:14 |
| Jul | 81% | 45% | 6.3 | 13:09 |
| Aug | 80% | 44% | 6.1 | 12:45 |
| Sep | 80% | 51% | 5.7 | 12:13 |
| Oct | 79% | 51% | 5.0 | 11:41 |
| Nov | 78% | 45% | 4.5 | 11:14 |
| Dec | 77% | 36% | 4.3 | 11:01 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Punta Cana is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 28 °C82 °F. The coldest is March, when highs average 26 °C79 °F and lows 25 °C77 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3 °C5.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 649 mm26 in. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (79 mm3.1 in), the driest is February (26 mm1.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in February to 81% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 33%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 15 km/h (9 mph) in September to 20 km/h (12 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 11.0 hours in December to 13.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Punta Cana
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October–July: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 29 °C83 °F with 26 mm1.0 in to 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is humid (80% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Punta Cana
- Wetter months (May, July–November) — highs 2781 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2680 to 28 °C82 °F, about 70 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Drier months (December–April, June) — highs 2679 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 2577 to 27 °C81 °F, about 39 mm1.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Punta Cana compares
Compared with La Romana, about 62 km to the west, Punta Cana is on average 0.6 °C1.1 °F cooler and receives 7% more precipitation (649 mm26 in vs 609 mm24 in). The difference is largest in April (1.6 °C2.9 °F cooler).
Of the 9 places in the Dominican Republic covered by World Climates, Punta Cana is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Dominican Republic climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Cap-Haïtien (Haiti, BSh), Port-de-Paix (Haiti, Aw) and Cockburn Town (Turks and Caicos Islands, BSh).
Nearby places
- La Romana 62 km · 28 °C82 °F · 609 mm24 in
- San Pedro de Macorís 96 km · 27 °C81 °F · 605 mm24 in
- Santo Domingo 157 km · 27 °C81 °F · 581 mm23 in
- San Cristóbal 180 km · 27 °C81 °F · 581 mm23 in
- Ponce 198 km · 27 °C81 °F · 899 mm35 in
- San Francisco de Macorís 210 km · 26 °C79 °F · 655 mm26 in
- La Vega 235 km · 27 °C81 °F · 560 mm22 in
- San Juan 243 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,207 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Punta Cana?
September is the warmest month in Punta Cana, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 28 °C (82 °F).
What is the coldest month in Punta Cana?
March is the coldest month, with an average high of 26 °C (79 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
When does it rain the most in Punta Cana?
November is the wettest month with about 79 mm (3.1 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 26 mm (1.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Punta Cana?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October–July.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.