Kingston in November: Weather, Rain Days, Sea Temperature and Things to Do

JAMAICA · KINGSTON IN NOVEMBER · 17.99° N

You have already picked Kingston. The only remaining question is the date. November gives the capital a daytime average of 83.4°F, nights around 73.6°F and a sea that still reads 85.6°F at its daily peak. The rain also steps back: 7.4 wet days in an average November, against 15.1 in October.

That makes November a good month to spend in town. You can walk from the Ward Theatre to Liberty Hall in the morning, take the afternoon for the forts at Port Royal, and be back before the 5:31 p.m. sunset. Weather, sea, booking, sights and the comparison with the two months on either side follow in that order, each with its own figures.

On this page

• Kingston weather in November83.4°F highs, 7.4 rain days, sunset at 5:31 p.m.
• Can you swim in Kingston in November?Sea surface at 85.6°F, measured as daily maxima
• Hotel prices and booking in NovemberBooking, lodging tax and the room upgrade that matters
• Things to do in Kingston in NovemberPort Royal, National Heroes Park, Ward Theatre
• A two-day Kingston itineraryDowntown on day one, Port Royal on day two
• October vs November vs December in KingstonHow heat, rain and sea change across three months
• Is November a good time to visit Kingston?Who should go in November and who should wait for December

One caution before the numbers. They describe the model grid cell over Kingston itself, on the sheltered south coast, the island’s driest side. The north shore, where most resorts sit, is a different climate, so these figures do not stand for the whole island. For the island-wide calendar, see our best-time-to-visit guide. For getting there, start with flights from the US.

Kingston weather in November: average highs, lows and rain days

Every figure here comes from Open-Meteo’s ECMWF ERA5 normals for 1991 to 2020. ERA5 is a model reanalysis computed for the grid cell at 17.997°N, 76.79°W. It is not the reading of an airport thermometer. On that basis, November in Kingston averages a high of 83.4°F, a low of 73.6°F and 3.40 inches of precipitation over the month. A station normal could differ by a degree or more, so read these as the model’s estimate of the city, not a gauge in a yard.

An average November brings 7.4 days with at least a tenth of an inch of rain. That works out to measurable rain on about one day in four, so a two-day visit has a fair chance of meeting a shower. Heavy rain is rarer. A day with an inch or more turns up 0.5 times per November, or roughly once every other year. Carry a folding umbrella and keep one indoor stop in reserve for a wet afternoon.

Between the 73.6°F low and the 83.4°F high, the day swings 9.8°F. That is too little to justify a jacket. Pack breathable cotton or linen, a hat for the forts at Port Royal, and one thin long-sleeved layer for air-conditioned rooms and evening mosquitoes. Our Jamaica packing list covers the rest.

On November 15, Kingston gets about 11 hours 19 minutes of daylight. Sunrise comes at 11:12 UTC and sunset at 22:31 UTC, which is 6:12 a.m. and 5:31 p.m. on Kingston’s clock, five hours behind UTC. Dinner happens in the dark, and any outdoor sight you want in good light needs to be finished by about 5 p.m.

Can you swim in Kingston in November? Sea temperature

Yes. The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off Kingston at 85.6°F in November, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That figure is the mean of each day’s maximum, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average that includes the night and early morning. Water at dawn will feel slightly cooler than 85.6°F.

Even allowing for that margin, the water is warm enough to swim without a wetsuit or a slow entry. The beaches nearest the capital run along the south coast. Our south-coast guide covers the stretches worth the drive.

We found no wind or swell series for November off Kingston, so we give no wave height and no windy-day count. Check the marine forecast on the morning you plan to swim. Our hurricane-season guide has the official season dates, and our post-Melissa update tracks what has reopened.

How busy is Kingston in November? Crowds and prices

We found no occupancy series and no monthly hotel-rate data for Kingston, so we place November nowhere on a price curve and call no month cheap or dear. For a realistic daily budget across the island, including rooms, food and transfers, see what a Jamaica trip costs.

We could not verify a typical booking window for Kingston either, so we give no week count. Our advice is to book the flight first, since the fare moves more than the room, and to take a refundable hotel rate if the tropical forecast makes you nervous. Our airport-transfer guide lists the options for the ride into town.

We could not verify the lodging-tax rate, so we give no percentage. When a hotel quotes a nightly price, ask in writing whether tax and any service charge are included.

If one upgrade is worth paying for in November, it is air conditioning that works. Nights average 73.6°F and the month brings 7.4 rain days, so the air stays warm and damp after dark. A room that stays cool at 2 a.m. makes more difference to the trip than a view.

Things to do in Kingston in November

November keeps an outdoor heritage day comfortable. The high sits at 83.4°F, 1.2°F under October, and the month has about half of October’s rain days. That combination suits long walks between monuments. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust, the statutory body that declares National Monuments, lists about forty heritage sites in Kingston alone.

Port Royal, once called “the richest and wickedest city in the world,” was wrecked by the earthquake of 1692, which also destroyed the original St. Peter’s Church. Fort Charles, built in the late 1650s, came first, followed by Fort Carlisle, Fort Morgan and Fort Rocky. National Heroes Park holds dated monuments, including Marcus Garvey’s (1964) and Nanny of the Maroons’ (dedicated October 14, 1999). Downtown, the Institute of Jamaica dates from 1879 and Holy Trinity Cathedral from 1911. Trench Town Culture Yard is one of the houses built between 1940 and 1949. We could not find opening hours or admission fees for any of these on a stable official page, so check with each site before you go.

Port Royal’s forts and the monuments of Heroes Park are outdoor stops, so the time of day matters more than the month. November mornings start near 73.6°F and climb toward 83.4°F, so plan the stone-and-sun sites early. Keep the Institute of Jamaica or Holy Trinity Cathedral for whenever one of the month’s 7.4 rain days arrives.

We could not verify admission for any Kingston site, so we cannot promise anything free. Some things cost nothing to see from the street, though. Colonel Charles Ward gave the Ward Theatre to the city in 1912, and it stands on St. William Grant Park in the center of downtown. Wesley Methodist Church, erected in 1825, and the two-story Georgian house at 150 East Street are both visible from the street.

Kingston in November: a two-day itinerary

Day one, downtown. Leave after the 6:12 a.m. sunrise and breakfast, and start on St. William Grant Park at the Ward Theatre around 8. Then walk to Kingston Parish Church, rebuilt around 1911 on the foundations of the original, and on to Liberty Hall, home of the Kingston division of Marcus Garvey’s UNIA. Spend the hot middle of the day indoors at the Institute of Jamaica, then take a taxi to Holy Trinity Cathedral. End at National Heroes Park by 4 p.m. to see Norman Manley’s monument (1972) and Bustamante’s (1979) before the 5:31 p.m. sunset. For taxis and routes, see our getting-around guide, and for neighborhoods, our safety guide.

Day two, Port Royal. Aim to reach Fort Charles by 9 a.m., while the air is still in the 70s, and see the other forts and the site of St. Peter’s Church before lunch. Stop at Rockfort, fortified in 1694 on Kingston’s eastern edge, on the way back. If the forecast turns wet, swap the order: take Holy Trinity and the Institute first, and wait for a dry window for Port Royal. With a third day, the Blue Mountains are the natural addition.

Kingston in November vs October and December

Moving from October to November, the ERA5 normals drop the high by 1.2°F and the low by 1.4°F. Rain falls from 5.70 to 3.40 inches, and wet days from 15.1 to 7.4. December goes further: 82.5°F by day, 72.0°F at night, 1.84 inches and 3.9 wet days. According to the Open-Meteo Marine API, the sea loses 2.1°F at each step, from 87.7°F to 85.6°F to 83.5°F in daily maxima.

Going four weeks later gets you about half November’s rain days and nights 1.6°F cooler, at the cost of 2.1°F of sea warmth. Going four weeks earlier gets you the warmest water of the three months, 87.7°F, but roughly double November’s wet days.

Is November a good time to visit Kingston?

Yes, if you are coming for the city: the forts, the Georgian streets, Trench Town and the monuments, walked on warm days with rain on about one day in four. No, if what you want is a resort beach week. That trip belongs on the north shore, and our Montego Bay vs Negril comparison will help you choose.

If showers worry you more than sea temperature, choose December. Its 3.9 wet days are about half of November’s, and 83.5°F water is still warm for swimming. For a longer island trip that ends in Kingston, our 10-day itinerary builds the route.

Of these three months, November alone combines a sea above 85°F with fewer than ten rain days.

The last word

The decision is simple: go in November for Kingston’s history, and let the 5:31 p.m. sunset set the end of each sightseeing day. Leave room for one sculpture on your list. Edna Manley’s Negro Aroused, created in 1935, is a declared national monument, and seeing it in person is a good way to understand why Kingston deserves its own trip.

Sources & data for this guide

• Air normals for October, November and December, 1991 to 2020 · Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, model reanalysis for the grid cell at 17.997°N 76.7936°W, not an airport station reading · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Rain days (0.10 in and 1 in thresholds) · same ERA5 grid cell · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015 to 2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset on Nov 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Kingston time · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Heritage sites, forts, earthquakes, monuments and buildings · Jamaica National Heritage Trust · checked Sep 24, 2026
• We found no opening hours or admission fees for any Kingston site on a stable official page, and no occupancy, booking-window, lodging-tax, wind or swell data. Check each operator when you book.

To plan your stay

• Kingston vs Montego Bay: Weather, Daylight, Room Tax and Ticket Prices
• Best Time to Visit Kingston: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
• Kingston in October: Weather, Rain Days, Sea Temperature and Heritage Sites
• Kingston in December: Weather, Rain Days, Sea Temperature and Heritage Sites

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