The Climate of
Puerto Rico
Plaza de Armas, Old San Juan
Climate Map
Climate map of Puerto Rico
What is the climate of Puerto Rico like?
Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States of America, is located is the most easterly of the large islands in the central Caribbean and is situated midway between the Dominican Republic and the Leeward Islands. It is a mountainous island with the highest land rising to over 1,200 meters (4,000 feet), so the center and north coast of the island, exposed to the northeast trade winds, are rather wetter throughout the year than the sheltered south coast.
Trade winds from the northeast moderate Puerto Rico’s tropical climate. Temperatures year-round generally stay around 27°C (80°F), although more extreme temperatures are possible in lower inland areas and on the southern coast. The mean temperature in San Juan is 25°C (78°F) in January and 28°C (83°F) in July.
Average annual rainfall varies from 910 millimeters (36 inches) in the south, to 1,500 millimeters (60 inches) at San Juan, to as much as 4,500 milliimeters (180 inches) in the mountains. Hurricanes are a hazard between August and October. The climate of San Juan, on the north coast, shows that here the annual rainfall is well spread over the year and there is no dry season. This is rather unusual for the Caribbean and is a local effect of the moist trade winds being forced to rise over the mountains close to the coast.
| Climate data for San Juan (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 83.2 (28.4) | 83.8 (28.8) | 84.7 (29.3) | 86.2 (30.1) | 87.4 (30.8) | 89.0 (31.7) | 88.7 (31.5) | 89.1 (31.7) | 89.2 (31.8) | 88.6 (31.4) | 86.1 (30.1) | 84.2 (29.0) | 86.7 (30.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 77.6 (25.3) | 77.8 (25.4) | 78.6 (25.9) | 80.1 (26.7) | 81.6 (27.6) | 83.1 (28.4) | 83.1 (28.4) | 83.5 (28.6) | 83.4 (28.6) | 82.7 (28.2) | 80.5 (26.9) | 78.8 (26.0) | 80.9 (27.2) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 71.9 (22.2) | 71.8 (22.1) | 72.4 (22.4) | 74.0 (23.3) | 75.7 (24.3) | 77.2 (25.1) | 77.6 (25.3) | 77.8 (25.4) | 77.5 (25.3) | 76.7 (24.8) | 74.9 (23.8) | 73.3 (22.9) | 75.1 (23.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.07 (103) | 2.58 (66) | 2.18 (55) | 4.60 (117) | 5.54 (141) | 4.66 (118) | 6.02 (153) | 6.29 (160) | 6.50 (165) | 5.21 (132) | 7.37 (187) | 4.85 (123) | 59.87 (1,521) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
The climate of Ponce illustrates conditions on the south coast. Here the temperatures are a little cooler, and notably drier, with a winter dry season.
| Climate data for Ponce (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 87.8 (31.0) | 87.7 (30.9) | 87.6 (30.9) | 88.8 (31.6) | 89.5 (31.9) | 91.2 (32.9) | 91.5 (33.1) | 91.8 (33.2) | 91.4 (33.0) | 90.8 (32.7) | 89.8 (32.1) | 88.4 (31.3) | 89.7 (32.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 75.1 (23.9) | 74.9 (23.8) | 75.0 (23.9) | 76.7 (24.8) | 78.3 (25.7) | 80.2 (26.8) | 80.3 (26.8) | 80.5 (26.9) | 80.0 (26.7) | 79.4 (26.3) | 77.9 (25.5) | 75.9 (24.4) | 77.8 (25.4) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 62.5 (16.9) | 62.1 (16.7) | 62.5 (16.9) | 64.6 (18.1) | 67.0 (19.4) | 69.2 (20.7) | 69.1 (20.6) | 69.3 (20.7) | 68.7 (20.4) | 67.9 (19.9) | 66.0 (18.9) | 63.5 (17.5) | 66.0 (18.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.73 (19) | 1.21 (31) | 1.87 (47) | 2.26 (57) | 4.18 (106) | 2.16 (55) | 2.84 (72) | 4.56 (116) | 6.94 (176) | 5.38 (137) | 3.94 (100) | 1.45 (37) | 37.52 (953) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Puerto Rico
In summary:
Puerto Rico has a tropical climate which is moderated by the surrounding sea, so seasonal variations are slight. In San Juan on the northern coast, mean temperatures range from 24°C (75°F) for January to 27°C (81°F) for July.
Mean annual rainfall varies from 910 mm (36 in) on the south coast to 1500 mm (60 in) in San Juan and may total more than 4500 mm (180 in) on the northern mountain slopes in the interior.