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Guyana Climate
Guyana has a tropical climate with almost uniformly high
temperatures and humidity, and much rainfall. Seasonal variations
in temperature are slight, particularly along the coast. Although
the temperature never gets dangerously high, the combination of
heat and humidity can at times seem oppressive. The entire area is
under the influence of the northeast trade winds, and during the
midday and afternoon sea breezes bring relief to the coast. Guyana
lies south of the path of Caribbean hurricanes and none is known to
have hit the country.
Temperatures in Georgetown are quite constant, with an average
high of 32°C and an average low of 24°C in the hottest
month
(July), and an average range of 29°C to 23°C in February,
the
coolest month. The highest temperature ever recorded in the capital
was 34°C and the lowest only 20°C. Humidity averages 70
percent
year-round. Locations in the interior, away from the moderating
influence of the ocean, experience slightly wider variations in
daily temperature, and nighttime readings as low as 12°C have
been
recorded. Humidity in the interior is also slightly lower,
averaging around 60 percent.
Rainfall is heaviest in the northwest and lightest in the
southeast and interior. Annual averages on the coast near the
Venezuelan border are near 250 centimeters, farther east at New
Amsterdam 200 centimeters, and 150 centimeters in southern Guyana's
Rupununi Savannah. Areas on the northeast sides of mountains that
catch the trade winds average as much as 350 centimeters of
precipitation annually. Although rain falls throughout the year,
about 50 percent of the annual total arrives in the summer rainy
season that extends from May to the end of July along the coast and
from April through September farther inland. Coastal areas have a
second rainy season from November through January. Rain generally
falls in heavy afternoon showers or thunderstorms. Overcast days
are rare; most days include four to eight hours of sunshine from
morning through early afternoon.
Data as of January 1992
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