☆ Montserrat Weather June 2026

Montserrat Climate Guide

Climate Overview

Montserrat has a tropical maritime climate with a drier season from January through April and a wet season from July through November. February and March are the driest months, while September and October see the heaviest rainfall.

Annual precipitation in the northern habitable zone averages approximately 1,500 mm59 in, though the mountainous Centre Hills receive significantly more due to orographic effects. The island lies within the Atlantic hurricane belt, and the wet season coincides with the peak of hurricane activity from August to October.

Daytime highs along the coast range from 29 °C84 °F in the cooler months to 31 °C88 °F in summer, with overnight lows between 22 °C72 °F and 25 °C77 °F. Steady northeast trade winds blow throughout the year, moderating humidity and keeping conditions comfortable. The trade winds are most consistent during the drier season from January to April and become more variable during the wet season.

Monthly Climate Averages

Long-term average temperature and rainfall for Montserrat by month.

Hurricane History

Montserrat lies in the Leeward Islands directly in the path of Cape Verde-type hurricanes. The 1899 San Ciriaco Hurricane reached peak intensity near the island with estimated winds of 240 km/h150 mph and a central pressure of 930 mb. Nearly every building on the island was destroyed and approximately 100 people were killed.

Hurricane Hugo (September 17, 1989, Category 4) struck with sustained winds near 225 km/h140 mph, damaging over 90% of structures and leaving roughly 11,000 of the island's 12,000 residents homeless. Ten people died and the entire power grid was destroyed. Hugo remains the costliest hurricane in Montserrat's history.

Hurricane Luis (1995, Category 4) caused moderate damage while tracking through the northern Leeward Islands. Hurricane Georges (1998) threatened a direct hit but shifted northward, sparing the island from its worst impacts while still causing flooding and mudslides.

More recently, Hurricane Maria (September 2017) passed close to Montserrat's west coast as it moved through the Leeward Islands, causing damage to roofs and infrastructure. The island's vulnerability to hurricanes has been compounded since 1995 by the ongoing volcanic crisis, which concentrated the entire population into the northern third of the island.

Geography & Terrain

Montserrat is a volcanic island in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, a British Overseas Territory covering approximately 104 km²40 sq mi. It stretches roughly 18 km11 miles long and 11 km7 miles wide. The island is built from three volcanic centres aligned north to south: the Silver Hills (403 m1,322 ft) in the north, the Centre Hills (741 m2,431 ft at Katy Hill) in the middle, and the Soufrière Hills in the south.

The Soufrière Hills volcano, which had a pre-eruption summit of 915 m3,002 ft at Chances Peak, has been active since July 1995. Lava dome growth has raised the summit to an estimated 1,050 m3,445 ft. A catastrophic pyroclastic flow on June 25, 1997 killed 19 people and destroyed villages, farmland, and the island's airport.

The eruptions rendered the southern two-thirds of the island uninhabitable, including the former capital of Plymouth, which now lies buried under volcanic debris. An exclusion zone restricts access to the entire southern portion of the island. Montserrat's population dropped from roughly 11,000 before the crisis to approximately 4,500 to 5,000 today, with all residents concentrated in the northern third around the settlements of Brades, St. John's, St. Peter's, and Davy Hill.

A new capital is being developed at Little Bay. The mountainous terrain of the Centre Hills forces northeast trade winds upward, producing heavier orographic rainfall on the windward eastern slopes compared to the leeward west coast. The volcanic soil supports lush tropical vegetation in the habitable northern zone, while ongoing volcanic hazards including ash venting, lahars, and pyroclastic flows continue to shape life on the island.

Climate normals based on published data from multiple meteorological sources. Monthly values are approximate long-term averages for the northern habitable zone.