ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Barbados in March

Barbados in March: 47% of days see measurable rain, 81°F average high, 16% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Barbados in March is historically a poor month for sun: only 16% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 81°F). Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Barbados page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late March

Clear-sky percentage for Barbados in March, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early March 1st–15th	17%	n=120	81°F
Late March 16th–end	16%	n=128	81°F
Full month average	16%	n=248	81°F

Sunshine & warmth in March

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Barbados in March. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early March 1st–15th	98%	n=120
Late March 16th–end	99%	n=128
Full month average	99%	n=248

11.8 h median sunshine per day 97% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 47% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 16%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 99%. The 83-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Barbados is a poor choice for sun in March: just 16% of days clear historically (n=248). The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

Every month in Barbados

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Barbados, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	11%	n=248	All destinations →
February	15%	n=226	All destinations →
March ← this page	16%	n=248	All destinations →
April	14%	n=240	All destinations →
May	11%	n=248	All destinations →
June	5%	n=240	All destinations →
July	3%	n=248	All destinations →
August	3%	n=248	All destinations →
September	4%	n=240	All destinations →
October	8%	n=248	All destinations →
November	6%	n=240	All destinations →
December	16%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Barbados in March?

Sometimes. Barbados sees measurable rain on 47% of days in March historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Barbados good for sun in March?

Not usually. Barbados is historically overcast in March: only 16% of days are clear (avg high 81°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025).

How Barbados compares in March

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Barbados this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Barbados vs Cayman Islands in March — Cayman Islands is 17% clear historically
→ Barbados vs Destin in March — Destin is 15% clear historically
→ Barbados vs Puerto Rico in March — Puerto Rico is 15% clear historically

→ Barbados live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in March — all destinations ranked by March clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.