Climate of Puerto Rico

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The climate of Puerto Rico falls into the tropical climatic zone - and is more accurately described a tropical marine climate.

1 Temperature
2 Sunshine and rainfall
3 Cause of climactic variations within Puerto Rico
4 Severe weather
5 External links

[edit] Temperature

The regular temperature range of Puerto Rico is between 80°F to 90°F (26°C and 31°C) along the coasts and between 73°F and 78°F (22°C and 25°C) in the interior. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the north. Temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island.

[edit] Sunshine and rainfall

Puerto Rico enjoys warm and sunny days most of the year. The trade winds that come from east to west across the island from the Atlantic bring most of the rain that falls from May to November. Depending on their intensity and speed, these winds can produce little more than a few clouds to several days of cloudy and rainy weather. Most rain showers are short but often frequent; lasting around 5-20 minutes.

The El Yunque rain forest averages 180 inches of rainfall yearly while the city of Ponce (southern part of the island) averages 40 inches a year.

[edit] Cause of climactic variations within Puerto Rico

The mountains of the Cordillera Central are the main cause of the variations in the rainfall and temperature that occur over very short distances, particularly in inland areas. The mountains can also cause wide variation in local wind speed and direction due to their sheltering and channelling effects adding to the climatic variation.

[edit] Severe weather

Puerto Rico experiences a hurricane and tropical storm season that it shares with the rest of the Caribbean and North Atlantic.

Sometimes, during rare, but severe thunderstorms, waterspouts form off the coasts, frequently on the west coast and in the inner sea. These thunderstorms can be a result from tropical disturbances, tropical depressions, and badly organized and weak tropical storms.