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The climate of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has a tropical climate with very warm weather all year
round with reasonably high precipitation figures, without a distinct
dry period. Winters are slightly drier than the rest of the year.
During the winter it is also colder and less muggy than during the
summer. Puerto Rico is the most popular tourist destination in the
Caribbean. The largest part of the tourists that travel to the
Caribbean go to Puerto Rico. More than 75% of the tourists come from
the United States of America. Puerto Rico is a popular stop-over and a
popular starting point for cruise lines. Many cruise ships make a
stop-over on this beautiful island. Officially the country is known as
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; it is an unincorporated territory of
the United States but is seen as an autonomous region in many ways.
Because the central part of Puerto Rico is a
mountainous region with its highest point at an altitude of 1,338
meters, the island can be divided into two parts. The northern part of
the island is slightly wetter. The southern and eastern part of the
island are situated on the leeward side and are consequently protected
from depressions. Because of this precipitation figures are lower
along the south coast from December till April. In the southern part
temperatures are 1-2 degrees lower on average than along the more
popular north coast.
Climate information of places and areas in Puerto Rico
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific
information about weather and climate can be found on the climate
pages per area or town. As for Puerto Rico the following climate
information is available:
Summer in Puerto Rico
Summers in Puerto Rico (May-September) are slightly warmer than
winters and chances of unstable weather are slightly higher. Chances
of unstable weather are caused by a higher activity of depressions
coming from the Atlantic Ocean. These depressions may be very active
and cause heavy showers and fierce winds. In the worst case scenario a
depression grows into a tropical storm or hurricane. There is a risk
of hurricanes during ‘hurricane season’ which is from June till the
beginning of December. However, if you travel to Puerto Rico during
this period you should not worry too much about hurricanes. The chance
of a hurricane hitting the part of the island where you stay is less
than one tenth of a percent. Daytime temperatures during the summer
are around 30 degrees Celsius (86.0 degrees Fahrenheit). During the
night temperatures remain well above 20 degrees Celsius (68.0 degrees
Fahrenheit) which is warm enough for a pleasant sunny holiday. During
this period you do not even need a jacket, sweater or cardigan.
Winter
Winters in Puerto Rico are warm with temperatures around 30 degrees
Celsius (86.0 degrees Fahrenheit). Minimum temperatures hardly ever
drop below 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Because of
this the climate of Puerto Rico can be classified as tropical. During
the winter chances of precipitation are smaller than during the
summer; chances of fierce winds are even much smaller. If you book a
cruise that makes a stop-over in Puerto Rico during the winter you
will not have to worry about it being cancelled or delayed because of
bad weather.
UV-index
UV-index figures are almost always high in Puerto Rico. With a maximum
figure of 11 during a large part of the year we advise you to apply
and re-apply sunscreen with a high protection factor.
Extremes
Apart from hurricanes only few extremes in weather and climate can be
recorded in Puerto Rico. Wintry weather such as snow, glazed frost or
subzero temperatures are uncommon. Extremely hot weather with
temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104.0 degrees Fahrenheit) or
higher are uncommon as well. This is because of the tempering
influence of both the wind and sea
Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate
records. They are an average for Puerto Rico. Local deviations may
occur, especially in the field of precipitation. For climate figures
on specific regions and places please, visit the individual climate
pages of Puerto Rico.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The figures below are for Puerto Rico
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
