Barbados: Climate & Natural Resources

Barbados has a tropical maritime climate moderated by the northeast trade winds, with temperatures that typically range from the low 70s to mid-80s Fahrenheit, or roughly 24 to 29 degrees Celsius, year-round. The island experiences two broad seasons: a drier stretch from about December through May and a wetter period for the rest of the year, when most of the annual rainfall falls. Lying near the southern edge of the Caribbean hurricane belt, Barbados is struck less often than many of its neighbors, though it has suffered severe storms in the past, including destructive hurricanes in 1780 and 1955.

The island itself is small and low-lying, built mainly of coral limestone that covers roughly 85 percent of its surface. Its terrain consists of gently sloping, terraced plains and low hills, with Mount Hillaby, in the central highlands, standing as the highest point at a little over 330 meters. The northeastern Scotland District exposes older volcanic and sedimentary rock beneath the limestone cap and holds most of the island's surface streams, since rainwater elsewhere drains through underground channels.

Sugarcane cultivation has historically covered much of the limestone soil, shaping both the landscape and the economy for centuries, though the island's arable land and fresh water supplies remain limited. Small-scale petroleum and natural gas extraction, concentrated in the southeast, has continued since the early twentieth century, and surrounding offshore waters are believed to hold further fossil fuel deposits. Barbados's coastal waters also support commercial fishing, including flying fish long associated with the island. Ongoing environmental concerns include soil erosion, occasional flooding from storm surge and heavy rain, and pollution affecting coastal waters.