Worldwide climate classifications

The climate of Puerto Rico falls into the tropical climatic zone. The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Temperatures are moderate year round, averaging near 80 °F (27 °C) in lower elevations and 70 °F (21 °C) in the mountains. Easterly trade winds pass across the island year round. The trade winds (also called trades) are the prevailing pattern of easterly winds found in the Tropics near the Earth's Equator. Puerto Rico has a rainy season which stretches from April into November. ^[1] The mountains of the Cordillera Central are the main cause of the variations in the temperature and rainfall that occur over very short distances. La Cordillera Central (The Central Mountain rangesis the main mountain range in Puerto Rico. The mountains can also cause wide variation in local wind speed and direction due to their sheltering and channeling effects adding to the climatic variation. About a quarter of the annual rainfall for Puerto Rico, on average, occurs during tropical cyclones, which are more frequent during La Niña events. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding El Niño-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO; commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon

Temperature

Temperatures range from 70 °F (21 °C) to 90 °F (32 °C) in the lower elevations, while higher elevations in the central part of the island experience temperatures between 60 °F (16 °C) and 80 °F (27 °C) year round. The temperature in the south is a few degrees higher than the north. Between winter and summer, there is only a temperature swing of around 6 °F (4 °C). This is mainly due to the warm waters of the subtropical Atlantic ocean, which significantly modify cooler air moving in from the north and northwest.

Wind

Persistent 19-knot (35 km/h) trade winds move from east to west across the island year round. In lighter wind regimes, sea breeze and land breeze circulations dominate. A sea-breeze (or onshore breeze) is a Wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts ^[3] Higher winds occur in the vicinity of tropical cyclones, which pass by every 5 years. ^[4]

Rainfall

There is a pronounced rainy season from April to November. Due to the commonwealth's topography, rainfall varies greatly across the island. The English noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. Pico del Este averages 171. 09 inches (4,346 mm) of rainfall yearly while Magueyes Island averages only 29. 32 inches (745 mm) a year. ^[5][6] There have not been any documented cases of snow falling within Puerto Rico, though occasionally it is brought in from elsewhere as a publicity stunt. ^[7]

Severe weather

• Puerto Rico experiences the Atlantic hurricane season, similar to the remainder of the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic oceans. A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding On average, a quarter of its annual rainfall is contributed from tropical cyclones, which is more prevalent during periods of La Niña than El Niño. El Niño-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO; commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon ^[8] A cyclone of tropical storm strength passes near Puerto Rico, on average, every 5 years. ^[9] A hurricane passes in the vicinity of the island, on average, every 11 years. Only one category 5 hurricane has struck the island since 1851, the Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of September 1928. The Okeechobee hurricane, or Hurricane San Felipe Segundo, was a deadly hurricane that struck the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the ^[10]

• Sometimes, during showers and thunderstorms, waterspouts form off the coasts, frequently on the west coast. A waterspout is an intense columnar Vortex (usually appearing as a Funnel -shaped Cloud) that occurs over a Body of water and is connected to In the inner sea, tornadoes and hailstorms are possible. These thunderstorms can be a result from tropical waves, tropical cyclones, and frontal boundaries which become stationary across the region between fall and spring. Tropical waves, or easterly waves, also known as African easterly waves in the Atlantic region are a type of Atmospheric trough, A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding A weather front is a boundary separating two masses of air of different densities, and is the principal cause of meteorological phenomena. Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four Temperate Seasons Autumn marks the transition from Summer Spring is one of the four Temperate Seasons Spring marks the transition from Winter into Summer.

See Also

• List of wettest known tropical cyclones in Puerto Rico

References

External links

• Major hurricanes that have impacted on Puerto Rico
• National Weather Service of San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Earth Trends Climate and Atmosphere Profile