The island of Cuba is the largest in the Caribbean. It is situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, directly south of Florida and east of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. At roughly 22 degrees north of the equator, the island has a tropical climate, with two distinct seasons: dry and pleasantly warm between late November and the middle of April – the best time to visit – and warm, wet and humid from the end of April to the beginning of November.
Cuba’s capital, Havana, is at the north-western end of the island. Occasionally, during otherwise warm winter months, cold air masses move down from the US, bringing much lower temperatures, sometimes into single figures. On one occasion, in the mid-19th century, snow fell and there was a heavy frost – unknown since then.
The southern coast is more sheltered, and in July and August it can get unpleasantly hot and muggy, with sudden and heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon after the buildup of heat.
As in the whole of this region, July, August and September may bring tropical storms and hurricanes, especially in the eastern part of the island. The last major event occurred in early September 2017, when Hurricane Irma brought winds of 270km/h (165mph) – the worst since 1924 – killing 10 people and causing more than $13bn in damage.
