DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Climate and Weather
Climate and Weather
Cities in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
| Puerto plata | Punta cana |
Climate and Weather
The Dominican Republic has a tropical climate, tempered only on the north coast by trade winds. Due to the north-eastern trade winds, most rain falls in the east and central mountainous areas, especially in the months of May, August, September and October. The driest and 'coldest' months are January and February. In the east, the annual average is about 1350 mm, in the west it is much drier with less than 500 mm per year. When rain does fall, it is usually in the form of short, heavy showers in the early evening. The Los Haitises area in the north-east is very humid. The average annual rainfall is about 2000 mm.
The average temperature for the entire Dominican Republic is around 25°C. However, there are large differences, with some temperatures being higher than others. However, there are big differences, especially in the mountainous areas. For example, the temperature near Constanza in the Cordillera Central averages about 16°C. During the day, the temperature easily rises above 30°C everywhere; in the deep south-west, there is even a desert climate. In general, temperatures do not vary greatly in different seasons; there is more difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures and between lowlands and highlands.
The water temperature in Dominican waters ranges from 26 to 30°C. Another characteristic of the climate is the high humidity, usually around 70% and rising to 90% when the sun rises. The Dominican Republic is a true sunshine destination with an average of 255 sunny days per year.
The Enriquillo Gorge is the hottest area in the country, with temperatures of up to 40°C. The mountains are the coldest. The coldest area is in the mountains, where the temperature can drop below freezing in January and where there are occasional flurries of snow.
Most hurricanes pass through the Dominican Republic between August and October. The country has been hit by hurricanes several times in recent decades: David (1979), Gilbert (1988), Hugo (1989), Luís (1995), George (1998: about 300 deaths, 250,000 homeless and 1 billion dollars' worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure) and Lenny (1999).
The weather in the capital Santo Domingo:
| daytemp. | nighttemp. | Sunhours/day | raindays | watertemp. | |
| January | 28° | 20° | 6 | 7 | 27°C |
| February | 28° | 19° | 6 | 6 | 26°C |
| March | 29° | 20° | 7 | 5 | 26°C |
| April | 29° | 21° | 6 | 7 | 27°C |
| May | 30° | 22° | 6 | 11 | 27°C |
| June | 30° | 23° | 7 | 12 | 27°C |
| July | 31° | 23° | 7 | 11 | 28°C |
| Augustus | 31° | 23° | 7 | 11 | 28°C |
| September | 31° | 23° | 7 | 11 | 28°C |
| October | 31° | 23° | 7 | 11 | 28°C |
| November | 30° | 22° | 6 | 10 | 27°C |
| December | 29° | 21° | 6 | 8 | 27°C |
Sources
Bayer, M. / Dominicaanse Republiek
Gottmer/Becht
Creed, A. / Dominican Republic
Chelsea House Publishers
Dominicaanse Republiek
Het Spectrum
Foley, E. / Dominican Republic
Times Books International
Froese, G. / Dominicaanse Republiek
Van Reemst
Langenbrinck, U. / Dominicaanse Republiek
ANWB
Latzel, M. / Dominicaanse Republiek
Elmar
Stow, L. K. / Dominicaanse Republiek
Kosmo
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
Copyright: Team The World of Info