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Dominican Republic Climate
The Dominican Republic has primarily a tropical
climate, with
more diurnal and local variations in temperature than
seasonal
ones, and with seasonal variability in the abundance of
rainfall.
The average annual temperature is 25° C, ranging from 18°
C at an
altitude of over 1,200 meters to 28° C at an altitude of
10
meters. Highs of 40° C are common in protected valleys, as
are
lows of zero in mountainous areas. In general, August is
the
hottest month, and January and February are the coldest
ones.
Seasons, however, vary more as a function of rainfall
than of
temperature. Along the northern coast, the rainy season
lasts
from November through January. In the rest of the country,
it
runs from May through November; May is the wettest month.
The dry
season lasts from November through April; March is the
driest
month. The average annual rainfall for the country as a
whole is
150 centimeters. This varies, however, from region to
region, and
ranges from 35 centimeters in the Valle de Neiba to 274
centimeters in the Cordillera Oriental. In general, the
western
part of the country, including the interior valleys,
receives the
least rain.
Tropical cyclones--such as tropical depressions,
tropical
storms, and hurricanes--occur on the average of once every
two
years in the Dominican Republic. Over 65 percent of the
storms
strike the southern part of the country, especially along
the
Hoya de Enriquillo. The season for cyclones lasts from the
beginning of June to the end of November; some cyclones
occur in
May and December, but most take place in September and
October.
Hurricanes usually occur from August through October. They
may
produce winds greater than 200 kilometers per hour and
rainfall
greater than 50 centimeters in a twenty-four-hour period.
Data as of December 1989
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