On a November evening at Arawak Cay in Nassau, the fry shacks send up the smell of frying conch and sweet peppers while the sun drops behind the water, and the air is finally soft enough to eat outside without fanning yourself. Farther out, the sailing cays and fishing settlements slow down once the summer heat lets go. The Bahamas in November means warm seawater, lighter air, crawfish season in full swing and an archipelago settling into its winter rhythm.
What is the weather like in the Bahamas in November?
In Nassau and on Paradise Island, November is warm and noticeably gentler than October: sunny afternoons in the low 80s, evenings that cool into the comfortable range, and showers that arrive in short bursts rather than long gray spells. The sea stays warm across the archipelago, a little warmer around George Town in the Exumas, a little cooler at Bimini.
| Month | Nassau average high (°F) | Nassau average low (°F) | Nassau rain days | Sea at Nassau (°F) | Sea at the Exumas (°F) | Sea at Grand Bahama (°F) | Sea at Bimini (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 87.1 | 74.1 | 10.1 | 84.6 | 85.5 | 84.3 | 82.9 |
| November | 83.1 | 70.1 | 6.7 | 80.9 | 81.4 | 80.8 | 79.1 |
| December | 80.6 | 67.0 | 5.1 | 78.1 | 78.9 | 78.0 | 75.4 |
In Nassau, the change from October is the thing you feel on your skin. The thick, sticky heat of early autumn eases, nights turn pleasant for a walk along the harbor or a late dinner on a terrace, and rain tends to come as a passing shower that clears for the rest of the afternoon. Days are getting shorter, with just under eleven hours of daylight in mid-November, so sunset arrives early and dinner plans start sooner.
The sea is where the islands differ most. Around George Town the water holds its summer warmth longest, Nassau and Grand Bahama sit almost level with each other, and Bimini, closest to the cooler Florida side of the Gulf Stream, is the first to cool. All four are still pleasant for time on the water, and the gaps between them are small enough that you would choose your island for its character rather than its temperature.
Where to go in the Bahamas in November
The Bahamas is a scatter of islands, and each one offers something different when the heat softens. November suits all of them, and the difference is mostly in mood: city and resort bustle, sailing-cay quiet, a resort town on Grand Bahama, with Freeport and Lucaya as the hub, or a fishing village on Bimini.
Nassau and Paradise Island
Nassau, the capital, sits on New Providence and gives you the most to do in a single stay. You can wander the old streets near the harbor, browse the straw market, walk up to the forts, and eat at the shacks at Arawak Cay. At Gone Fishing on Arawak Cay, stew lobster, big chunks of crawfish in a rich brown gravy, is served on the breakfast menu, which makes a very Bahamian start to a day.
Paradise Island, with Atlantis and the Royal Beach Club, and Cable Beach, with Baha Mar and the Sandals Royal Bahamian, give you resort days where the sea is still warm and the air has lost its summer weight. November suits people who want a mix of beach time and evenings out, since the cooler dusk makes outdoor tables and long walks pleasant.
The Exumas
George Town on Great Exuma is a sleepy harbor settlement with the Atlantic on one side and a sheltered bay on the other. The airport lies north of town, and, as everywhere in the Bahamas, you drive on the left. In November the sea around here is the warmest of our four reference places, so days on a boat, at a sandbar or on a beach stay comfortable well into the afternoon.
The cays that string out toward Staniel Cay are made for people who like turquoise shallows, simple lunches of grilled fish and conch, and quiet evenings under a very large sky. Sandals Emerald Bay on Great Exuma closed on August 15, 2024 and is being converted to a Beaches resort, with no reopening announced, so it is not a place to stay.
Grand Bahama
Freeport and Lucaya form the main hub of Grand Bahama, and Port Lucaya is where you stroll between shops, a waterfront marketplace and restaurants with the boats right beside you. The sea here is close to Nassau in feel, and November’s lighter air suits strolling and sitting outside at a harbor table.
Grand Bahama attracts people who want a resort-town base with a lot of coastline to explore and an easy mix of dining and beach time. It is a good pairing with a few quiet days away from the bigger bustle of Nassau.
Bimini
Alice Town on Bimini is a small, easygoing fishing village strung along a single main road, with brightly painted bars, boat docks and a long tradition of sportfishing that goes back generations. Bimini has the coolest sea of the places in the table, which in November still reads as pleasantly warm rather than chilly, and the pace on shore is slow.
Resorts World Bimini adds a larger resort option to an island otherwise known for its fishing docks and relaxed bars. It suits travelers who want a short, laid-back stay by the water without much on the calendar.
What to do in the Bahamas in November
The big natural event of the month is on the menu: crawfish season runs from August 1 to March 31, so November sits in the middle of it. On many Bahamian menus the words crawfish and lobster are used interchangeably, and if another lobster variety is served it is named specifically. Order it as a salad, stewed, or in a sandwich.
Eating crawfish at the shacks and on the cays
Bahamian crawfish salad is a mix of onions, sweet peppers, lime juice and diced lobster, often served on a bed of greens or all by itself, and it also makes a very good sandwich. Eat it at a plastic table at Arawak Cay with a cold drink, or at a harbor restaurant with the boats bobbing alongside. Conch salad, cracked conch and rice-based sides round out the table.
Stew lobster is the cozier choice, and Gone Fishing at Arawak Cay serves it at breakfast, with the crawfish in a brown gravy. It makes a hearty start for a day of walking Nassau’s streets. Out on the islands, simple grills and cookouts near the docks offer the same ingredient in a quieter setting.
Days on the water
With the sea still warm on every island, November is a month for being out on boats. Around the Exumas that means drifting between cays and sandbars, while Bimini and Grand Bahama bring fishing trips and harbor-side lunches. You may see rays and turtles in the shallows, though sightings are never certain.
Autumn in town
November in Nassau is a good month for walking: the old streets, the straw market, the harbor and the forts feel more pleasant once the heat has eased. In the lead-up to Junkanoo, the big street parade of the holiday season, you may hear rehearsals and see costume preparation under way in some neighborhoods. American visitors also arrive around Thanksgiving, which brings a festive feel to resort dining rooms.
Is the Bahamas busy in November?
November tends to be a calmer month than the weeks around the December holidays, with the main winter rush still ahead. The easing heat and warm sea draw visitors back after the summer, and the U.S. Thanksgiving week brings families to the larger resorts in Nassau, Paradise Island, Cable Beach and Grand Bahama.
Resort areas are the liveliest places, since that is where Thanksgiving visitors gather, with restaurants and beach clubs running at full tilt. Paradise Island and Cable Beach feel busiest around the long weekend, while Port Lucaya fills with people strolling in the cooler evening.
The Out Islands set the other mood. Hope Town, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island and the Exumas are small settlements, and in November they feel unhurried. George Town and Staniel Cay in the Exumas, and Alice Town on Bimini, are places where the day revolves around the dock, a boat and a slow lunch. If you prefer fewer people around, choose an island away from the big resorts, and head into Nassau early in the day for the straw market and the old streets, saving the beach for the afternoon.
What to pack for the Bahamas in November
November packing is about warm days and a light layer for the evenings. Nassau and Paradise Island call for beach clothes by day and something with sleeves after dark, and the Out Islands lean even more casual, with sandals, shorts and a hat doing most of the work.
- Swimsuits and a cover-up, since the sea is still warm on every island.
- A light sweater or thin jacket for breezy evenings on a terrace or a boat.
- A compact rain jacket for the short showers that pass through.
- Sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat for days on the water.
- Sandals plus one pair of closed shoes for walking Nassau’s old streets and forts.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.
November is the last month of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through November 30, and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation keeps watching storms in the Atlantic. Travelers are encouraged to follow the Bahamas.com hurricane page for updates.
For entry, the Bahamas Department of Immigration says all travelers need a passport valid for at least six months, and passport cards are not accepted. U.S. citizens do not need a Bahamian visa for a visit, but they need a return or onward ticket, may be asked for proof of sufficient funds, and must present a completed disembarkation card.
Is November a good time to visit the Bahamas?
November is a very good month, especially for travelers who want warm days, warm water and a gentler pace before the winter rush, and the Exumas stand out with the warmest sea of our four reference places. The Nassau area suits those who want a mix of city and resort time, while Bimini and Grand Bahama offer their own quieter versions of the same warm season.
Compared with October, the air is lighter, showers are fewer and the sea has cooled a little, though it is still warm. October is also closer to the peak of hurricane activity, which lasts from mid-August to mid-October. Compared with December, November keeps a bit more warmth in both the air and the water, and Bimini in particular is milder in the sea.
December brings cooler evenings and the holiday season, and with it the build-up of Junkanoo and Christmas crowds. November sits between the two: warm enough for the beach, comfortable enough for walking, and early enough to enjoy resort restaurants and island docks before the winter rush.
What is special about November in the Bahamas is the combination of crawfish season at its height, a sea that still feels like summer and an air that finally feels like a break, so a plate of stew lobster at Arawak Cay and a late afternoon on the water belong to the same day.
Sources
- NOAA NCEI, GHCN-Daily station BF000078073 (Nassau Airport), normals 1991-2020 computed from the daily record (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=daily-summaries&stations=BF000078073), checked October 10, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 10, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, crawfish season (https://www.bahamas.com/blog/its-crawfish-season), checked October 10, 2026
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Hurricane and storm information (https://www.bahamas.com/hurricane-storm-information), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Geography of the Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, The Bahamas (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation (bahamas.com), Island FAQ (https://www.bahamas.com/plan-your-trip/island-faq), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, The Bahamas (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bahamas), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, New Providence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Providence), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Exuma travel guide (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Exuma), checked October 10, 2026
- Wikipedia, Abaco Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaco_Islands), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Entry requirements (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/), checked October 10, 2026
- Bahamas Department of Immigration, Before your arrival (https://www.immigration.gov.bs/entry-requirements/before-your-arrival/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, The Bahamas Travel Advisory, Level 2 (https://travel.state.gov/), checked October 10, 2026
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in the Bahamas: Beaches, Blue Holes, Swimming Pigs and Fish Fry
- Where to Stay in the Bahamas: Best Islands, Resorts, Boutique Stays and How to Choose
- Getting Around the Bahamas: Flights, Ferries, Mailboats and Taxis in Nassau
- Know Before You Go to the Bahamas: Entry Rules, Money, Getting Around and Local Customs