Expats moving to St Lucia can expect warm, tropical weather for most of the year. The island is well within the tropics and experiences the northeast trade winds blowing across it for much of the year. Daytime temperatures average a breezy 80°F (27°C).
St Lucia has two seasons: dry and wet. Expect dry weather from around December to April. These are the most comfortable months to arrive, and the coolest too. Night-time lows in January and February dip to about 73°F (23°C), and the least rain falls between February and April.
The wet season is warmer and more humid, and it overlaps with the Atlantic hurricane season from June to November. St Lucia is in the southeastern Caribbean, so direct hits are less frequent than on islands further north, although it still pays to take the season seriously. Daytime temperatures then range from 80°F (27°C) to 90°F (32°C), and the risk of a storm is highest between August and October. Rain can fall at any time of year, but the showers usually blow over quickly.
Rain doesn't fall evenly across the island. Far more of it lands on the mountainous interior and the rainforest around Soufrière than on the coast. The windward Atlantic coast in the east is wetter than the sheltered Caribbean coast in the west. Most expats settle on the Caribbean side, around Castries and Rodney Bay. Temperatures are lower at altitude, so it stays cooler up in the hills than down at sea level.