Punta Cana weather by month & the best time to visit
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic · beach resort · semi-arid climate
The best time to visit Punta Cana is February — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 91/100), with March and January close behind. Punta Cana averages about 2,882 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 26°C / 79°F and roughly 26 mm of rain in February.
Jump to: month-by-month table · sea temperature · nearby alternatives · embed this data
- Sun hours / year
- 2,882
- Sunniest month
- February
- Peak score
- 91/100
- Rain / year
- 650 mm
- Midday UV at peak
- 11 (extreme)
- Sea at warmest
- 30°C / 86°F
- Population
- 100k
- Elevation
- 10 m
When is the best time to visit Punta Cana?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Punta Cana is February, then March and January. The dullest month is May (82/100, 75 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Punta Cana?
Punta Cana gets a lot of sun: around 2,882 hours a year. Conditions barely change through the year — only 9 Sunshine Score points separate February from May. It ranks #2 of 7 destinations in Dominican Republic for annual sunshine, above the national median of 2,867 hours. The year's 650 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 89 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 38 mm | 8 | 28° / 82°F |
| February | 91 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 26 mm | 9 | 27° / 81°F |
| March | 91 | 26° / 79°F | 25° / 77°F | 26 mm | 10 | 27° / 81°F |
| April | 88 | 27° / 81°F | 26° / 79°F | 46 mm | 11 | 28° / 82°F |
| May | 82 | 27° / 81°F | 27° / 81°F | 75 mm | 11 | 29° / 84°F |
| June | 87 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 50 mm | 10 | 29° / 84°F |
| July | 86 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 55 mm | 11 | 30° / 86°F |
| August | 84 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 67 mm | 11 | 30° / 86°F |
| September | 82 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 74 mm | 10 | 30° / 86°F |
| October | 84 | 29° / 84°F | 28° / 82°F | 68 mm | 9 | 30° / 86°F |
| November | 82 | 28° / 82°F | 27° / 81°F | 79 mm | 8 | 29° / 84°F |
| December | 88 | 27° / 81°F | 26° / 79°F | 46 mm | 7 | 28° / 82°F |
Sea temperature in Punta Cana by month
The sea off Punta Cana is warmest in July at around 30°C / 86°F, and coolest in February at 27°C / 81°F. The water sits at a comfortable 21°C or warmer roughly all year round. Month-by-month sea-surface temperatures are in the Sea column of the table above.
See Punta Cana on the interactive sunshine globe →
Nearby places for sunshine
- Santo Domingo Dominican Republic · 138 km · best in Feb · 2,867 h sun/yr
- San Juan Puerto Rico · 250 km · best in Feb · 2,619 h sun/yr
- Puerto Plata Dominican Republic · 267 km · best in Feb · 2,675 h sun/yr
- Charlotte Amalie U.S. Virgin Islands · 358 km · best in Feb · 3,108 h sun/yr
- Christiansted U.S. Virgin Islands · 389 km · best in Feb · 3,158 h sun/yr
- Port-au-Prince Haiti · 414 km · best in Feb · 3,150 h sun/yr
Nearest destinations
- La Romana Dominican Republic · 59 km · 2,882 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Aguadilla Puerto Rico · 130 km · 2,966 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Mayaguez Puerto Rico · 133 km · 2,966 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- Samana Dominican Republic · 164 km · 2,767 h sun/yr · best in Feb
- La Isabela Dominican Republic · 171 km · 2,867 h sun/yr · best in Jan
Head-to-head
How Punta Cana compares month by month: Punta Cana vs San Juan · Punta Cana vs Santo Domingo · Punta Cana vs Cancún · Punta Cana vs Puerto Plata · all comparisons
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