Detailed view
Rainfall and heat behind the drought story.
Follow rainfall and temperature across Jamaica. CHIRPS rainfall comparisons use 1991–2020; each CHIRTS-ERA5 temperature display identifies its own reporting and normal periods. Together, these estimates provide context for assessing drought.
Explore the mapGlossary
Terms used on this page
- Normal
- The typical amount for a given place and time of year: the average across 1991–2020. Each month is compared with the same calendar month, so a dry-season month is never judged against a rainy-season normal.
- Percent of normal
- Observed rainfall divided by normal rainfall. 100% means a typical amount; 50% means half the usual rain; 150% means half again as much as usual.
- Observed
- The rainfall or temperature estimated for the period being reported, as opposed to the long-term normal it is compared with.
- Three-month total
- Rainfall added up over a month and the two months before it. Looking across three months smooths out a single unusually wet or dry month and shows whether conditions are lasting.
- Millimetres (mm) of rain
- How deep the rain would be if it collected on flat ground without draining away. 25 mm is about one inch.
- Daytime high and nighttime low
- The warmest and coolest temperatures of each day, averaged across the month. They are not the temperature at any one moment or how hot it feels.
- Above or below normal (°C)
- How many degrees warmer or cooler a month was than its normal temperature. +1.5°C means 1.5 degrees warmer than usual for that month.
- Parish average
- Satellite estimates are made for small squares about 5.5 km across, then averaged over each parish and over all of Jamaica.
- Coverage
- The share of an area with usable data. A value is only shown when at least 95% of the area is covered, so a figure is not based on a small, unrepresentative part of a parish.
- Nearby storm
- A tropical storm or hurricane that passed within 500 km of Jamaica. It is marked for context only; it does not mean the storm made landfall or caused a particular amount of rain.
- CHIRPS and CHIRTS-ERA5
- Rainfall (CHIRPS) and temperature (CHIRTS-ERA5) datasets from the Climate Hazards Center that combine satellite, weather station and weather model information into estimates for every part of the island.
- Drought
- A long period with less rain than normal. Rainfall below normal is one warning sign, but these figures are not an official drought declaration.
Latest available month · Sept 2026
A measured view of recent rain.
Over the latest three months, Jamaica received 48% of normal rainfall (239 mm compared with 497 mm).
Month by month
Observed rain and the usual amount
Jamaica-wide · Oct 2025–Sept 2026 · millimetres
Source: CHIRPS v3 monthly
View monthly values
| Month / nearby event | Observed | Normal | Of normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025Melissa | 448 mm | 250 mm | 179% |
| Nov 2025 | 69 mm | 171 mm | 41% |
| Dec 2025 | 61 mm | 110 mm | 55% |
| Jan 2026 | 241 mm | 76 mm | 318% |
| Feb 2026 | 82 mm | 63 mm | 131% |
| Mar 2026 | 187 mm | 79 mm | 237% |
| Apr 2026 | 164 mm | 116 mm | 142% |
| May 2026 | 81 mm | 234 mm | 35% |
| Jun 2026 | 164 mm | 141 mm | 116% |
| Jul 2026 | 51 mm | 132 mm | 39% |
| Aug 2026 | 62 mm | 170 mm | 36% |
| Sept 2026 | 125 mm | 195 mm | 64% |
- MelissaOct 2025Nearby storm recorded during this month.
Sustained conditions
Monthly rainfall trend
Three-month periods ending Apr 2025–Sept 2026 · percent of normal
Source: CHIRPS v3 monthly
The green dashed line marks 100% of normal. Yellow points mark the months when storms were near Jamaica. Each rainfall point totals its ending month and the previous two months.
View three-month values
| Ending month / nearby event | Observed | Normal | Of normal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | 207 mm | 257 mm | 80% |
| May 2025 | 228 mm | 429 mm | 53% |
| Jun 2025 | 283 mm | 492 mm | 58% |
| Jul 2025 | 246 mm | 508 mm | 48% |
| Aug 2025 | 356 mm | 444 mm | 80% |
| Sept 2025Imelda · Sept 2025 | 433 mm | 497 mm | 87% |
| Oct 2025Melissa · Oct 2025 | 831 mm | 615 mm | 135% |
| Nov 2025 | 701 mm | 616 mm | 114% |
| Dec 2025 | 578 mm | 530 mm | 109% |
| Jan 2026 | 371 mm | 350 mm | 106% |
| Feb 2026 | 384 mm | 250 mm | 153% |
| Mar 2026 | 510 mm | 217 mm | 235% |
| Apr 2026 | 433 mm | 257 mm | 168% |
| May 2026 | 432 mm | 429 mm | 101% |
| Jun 2026 | 409 mm | 492 mm | 83% |
| Jul 2026 | 296 mm | 508 mm | 58% |
| Aug 2026 | 277 mm | 444 mm | 62% |
| Sept 2026 | 239 mm | 497 mm | 48% |
Year by year
Annual rainfall compared with normal
Jamaica-wide · January–December 2021–2025
Source: CHIRPS v3 monthly · 1991–2020 normal
Full calendar-year totals. Reference: 1991–2020 normal, calculated from complete January–December years. The normal uses 30 complete baseline years. Available input history: Jan 1981–Sept 2026.
Annual rainfall · percent of normal
View annual values · 2021–2025
| Year · Jan–Dec | Observed | 1991–2020 normal | Of normal | Valid months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,602 mm | 1,737 mm | 92% | 12/12 |
| 2022 | 1,394 mm | 1,737 mm | 80% | 12/12 |
| 2023 | 1,597 mm | 1,737 mm | 92% | 12/12 |
| 2024 | 1,943 mm | 1,737 mm | 112% | 12/12 |
| 2025 | 1,462 mm | 1,737 mm | 84% | 12/12 |
Local picture
How the parishes compare
Three months ending Sept 2026 · percent of normal
Source: CHIRPS v3 monthly
The green marker shows 100% of normal rainfall. Bars are sorted from least to most rainfall relative to normal.
About these figures
Rainfall estimates are one drought signal.
CHIRPS v3 monthly rainfall is averaged over Jamaica and each parish, then compared with the same calendar period in 1991–2020. A value below 100% means less rain than normal for that period.
These estimates use a 0.05° grid and require at least 95% valid area coverage. Small parishes can depend on only a few pixels. Rainfall alone is not an official drought classification.
Nearby storms are marked for context. All rainfall totals and comparisons include the full observed rainfall, including rain during storm windows. Storm windows cover days when NOAA IBTrACS records place a storm within 500 km of Jamaica, plus one day on either side. A nearby storm does not establish landfall or identify how much rain it caused.
Storm matching covers Apr 2025–Sept 2026. Storm annotations are available within this matching period.
View places on the mapTemperature / Heat
How warm was the latest month?
Jamaica-wide · Aug 2026
Daily temperature extremes averaged over the month.
- Average daytime high
- 31.2°C 1991–2020 normal: 29.4°C
- Average nighttime low
- 25.4°C 1991–2020 normal: 23.8°C
Daytime warmth
Daytime highs and the usual temperature
Jamaica-wide · Sept 2025–Aug 2026 · °C
Normal: 1991–2020
Reporting period: Sept 2025–Aug 2026. Values are monthly averages of daily maximum temperatures. Gaps show incomplete or unavailable months.
Source: CHIRTS-ERA5 · gridded temperature estimates, aggregated to Jamaica and parishes.
View daytime temperature values
| Month | Average high | 1991–2020 normal | Above / below normal | Baseline years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 | 30.7°C | 29.6°C | +1.1°C | 30 |
| Oct 2025 | 29.0°C | 28.6°C | +0.4°C | 30 |
| Nov 2025 | 28.4°C | 27.8°C | +0.6°C | 30 |
| Dec 2025 | 27.9°C | 27.2°C | +0.7°C | 30 |
| Jan 2026 | 27.0°C | 26.5°C | +0.4°C | 30 |
| Feb 2026 | 26.3°C | 26.7°C | −0.4°C | 30 |
| Mar 2026 | 27.5°C | 27.4°C | +0.1°C | 30 |
| Apr 2026 | 28.2°C | 28.2°C | 0.0°C | 30 |
| May 2026 | 29.3°C | 28.3°C | +1.0°C | 30 |
| Jun 2026 | 29.7°C | 29.0°C | +0.7°C | 30 |
| Jul 2026 | 30.9°C | 29.7°C | +1.2°C | 30 |
| Aug 2026 | 31.2°C | 29.4°C | +1.8°C | 30 |
Nighttime temperatures
Nighttime lows and the usual temperature
Jamaica-wide · Sept 2025–Aug 2026 · °C
Normal: 1991–2020
Reporting period: Sept 2025–Aug 2026. Values are monthly averages of daily minimum temperatures. Gaps show incomplete or unavailable months.
Source: CHIRTS-ERA5 · gridded temperature estimates, aggregated to Jamaica and parishes.
View nighttime temperature values
| Month | Average low | 1991–2020 normal | Above / below normal | Baseline years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 | 25.2°C | 24.3°C | +0.9°C | 30 |
| Oct 2025 | 24.6°C | 23.8°C | +0.8°C | 30 |
| Nov 2025 | 23.8°C | 23.1°C | +0.8°C | 30 |
| Dec 2025 | 23.2°C | 22.3°C | +1.0°C | 30 |
| Jan 2026 | 22.5°C | 21.3°C | +1.3°C | 30 |
| Feb 2026 | 21.5°C | 21.1°C | +0.4°C | 30 |
| Mar 2026 | 22.7°C | 21.7°C | +1.0°C | 30 |
| Apr 2026 | 23.4°C | 22.6°C | +0.8°C | 30 |
| May 2026 | 24.1°C | 23.1°C | +1.0°C | 30 |
| Jun 2026 | 24.4°C | 23.8°C | +0.6°C | 30 |
| Jul 2026 | 25.1°C | 24.0°C | +1.2°C | 30 |
| Aug 2026 | 25.4°C | 23.8°C | +1.5°C | 30 |
Local picture
Which parishes were warmer than usual?
Aug 2026 · daytime high departure, °C
Normal: 1991–2020
- Trelawny31.4°C average high+2.1°C
- St. Ann29.9°C average high+2.0°C
- St. James31.6°C average high+2.0°C
- St. Elizabeth32.4°C average high+1.9°C
- Manchester29.8°C average high+1.9°C
- Hanover32.5°C average high+1.8°C
- Westmoreland32.4°C average high+1.8°C
- St. Catherine31.9°C average high+1.8°C
- Clarendon31.8°C average high+1.7°C
- St. Mary31.6°C average high+1.7°C
- St. Andrew29.4°C average high+1.5°C
- Portland30.0°C average high+1.4°C
- St. Thomas30.3°C average high+1.4°C
- Kingston— average high—Insufficient temperature coverage · 88.7% valid area
Source: CHIRTS-ERA5 · gridded temperature estimates, aggregated to Jamaica and parishes.
About these figures
Temperature adds context to the drought picture.
Reporting period: Aug 2026. Normal temperatures use the same calendar months in 1991–2020, requiring at least 25 complete baseline years. Departures are differences in °C.
Stored temperature history: Jan 1981–Aug 2026. The charts above show Sept 2025–Aug 2026.
These CHIRTS-ERA5 estimates use a native 0.05° grid and overlap-area weighting. Daily averages require at least 95% valid area; monthly values require every calendar day. Kingston currently has insufficient coastal coverage.
Daytime highs and nighttime lows are averages of daily extrema. They do not represent a 24-hour mean, a feels-like temperature, or an official heat or drought severity classification.
Source: CHIRTS-ERA5 · gridded temperature estimates, aggregated to Jamaica and parishes.