Weather in the Dominican republic??

[Abdu and Jo]

Hi, I hope someone can help.

We are looking to book 2 weeks in the Dom Rep, but are really confused when the best time of the year is to go. The travel agent tells us the best time is between November to March, and that in the summer of june to august is hurricane season. But one of the websites says nov amnd DEc is rainy and that in the winter months of Nov - March the temperature drops dramatically?

When is the best time to go, so that we have the best chance of sun and avoid the hurricanes and rainy season as much as possible??

Please help, thanks

JO and Abdu

 

[DR1]

Any time of the year will be fine. The temperature fluctuates during day time from 24-34 degrees year round. Early morning temperatures in winter may drop to 18 degrees. It rains less in the Punta Cana and southeastern beach areas (Boca Chica, Juan Dolio and La Romana) than in the northern areas of Puerto Plata and Samana. And rain showers are usually short. The probabilities are strongly on your side that you will have a sunny holiday regardless of when you come. For information on hurricanes, see our hurricane page.

 

[Bob Morris]

We have visited the Puerta Plata area, specifically Playa Dorado, 3 times. Twice in Feb. once in Jan. The temperature has been pleasant, never under 20 or over 32 at any time. As said above rains come occassionally but blow over very quickly. A matter of minutes at the most. My understanding is that hurricane season is from now through late November, sometimes into December. The north coast,which is where Puerta Plata is, usually escapes the worst of hurricane damage. Georges, a couple of years wreaked his havoc along the south coast and a bit into the interior. I note that the previous message has a web site for hurricane watchers and is well worth noting.

 

[arcoiris]

I have visited at all times of year except June-August. My favorite time is as your travel agent told you, and it sounds like you have a good one. It does get a little cooler in Feb. and Mar., depending on where you are too - in the mountains, or the north, or the south in the Capital - but that is such a relief to me as I don't tolerate heat very well, even in our summertimes here. Last year it got down to like 64 at night and many were complaining that they weren't used to that, but I loved it, and it was back up to 80 during the day. December is fine and I am going again this December. DR1 is right that, except for rare exceptions, there is not very much difference during the year because it is in the tropics. The rainy season and the dry season are not drastically different, not like the monsoons of India. About hurricanes...there is as much chance that the hurricane might hit the east coast of the US as the DR, and more chance that any a hurricane will not hit land in the western hemisphere full force at all. Everyone must be constantly prepared because of the unpredictability and not because of inevitability.

 

[Susanne]

It depends on where you are going. It is true that November through January are generally wet months in Puerto Plata (there is no rainy season as such in the Dominican Republic).

However, if you go to Punta Cana, the same months are fairly dry. Here it is wetter during the months of summer. But even during a wet period you will see the sun, just as you will have a few showers during an otherwise dry time. One of the reasons that the Dominican Republic is so green and fertile is plenty of rain! Most of the rain falls in heavy, but short lived showers, though. So don't fear it.

Also, the annual amount of rain varies enormeously from year to year and from place to place. We went to the North Coast last December and it rained basically every day for at least three-four hours. We were told that this was highly unusual, but the temperatures were pleasant enough, and we still managed to come home with a solid tan.

For a more detailed description of the climate, try to look on the weather and travel information page on <A HREF="http://www.hispaniola.com">www.hispaniola.com</A>

Regards,
Susanne

 

[arcoiris]

I checked out hispaniola's site for climate. It is very innovative to say the least. Tropical areas do not have summer and winter, and don't go by temperature variations to measure the seasons. It is interesting to see amateurs inventing their own science. It is better to investigate the professional explanations of world climates and see why scientists say that tropical climates are divided into two seasons called rainy season and dry season, and why it is not qualified by specific monthly measurements of rainfall in narrow localities. You can use a common encyclopedia for this. With your definition and hispaniola.com's, the scientists would have to make a unique exception for the DR among all the areas of the world, which include Haiti, which admits it has a rainy and dry season. There is a definition of what winter is, and the climate of the DR does not fit.

 

[tgf]

The ecology of the Dominican Republic is a number of microclimates resulting from trade winds and mountain ranges. Generally, several statements can be made. Rainfall decreases from east to west. Saman? is much wetter (up to 2000mm annually) than Barahona or Montecristi (less than 600mm annually). The "rainiest season" on the north coast begins from end of October through January/February. Ever wondered why the farmers on the north coast prepare/plow/hoe their fields in late August/September and plant corn and pigeon peas at the end of September: to take advantage of the rains that come during these months. The "rainier season" on the south coast is during the months of June/July. There is no monsoon in the DR. Rainfall varies from year to year and region to region. Gustavo Antonini (Geographer) has written several good, but slightly dated, books and articles on the physical geography of the Dominican Republic. A good friend of mine, Dr. Marcos Pe?a Franjul, has also written many articles, mostly in Spanish, on the ecology of the Dominican Republic.

 

[arcoiris]

Tgf, for once you and I agree. The details you give on specifically Hispaniolan weather are true. That does not negate what I said. It is also true that there is no winter nor summer in tropical climates, and that there is, instead, a so-called rainy season and a dry season.

 

[Susanne]

Tgf is right, and yes - it does negate what you said. Your definition of a tropic climate is a simplification. Tropic climate can vary considerably. You obviously have only heard of the wet-dry tropical version. Well, the Dominican Republic have a marine tropic climate, not a wet-dry one, and not a wet one either. This means that rainfall is less predictable and more unevenly distributed than in the tropic areas where monsoon conditions are predominant or in other tropic areas where rain falls at the exact same time every day, all year round.

There is no overall, nationwide wet season in the DR. It varies from place to place, depending on latitude, altitude, wind patterns, mountain ranges etc. This is why you will find both deserts and verdant forests on the island. May I add that you have temperate climate in some of the mountain ranges where frost is not unheard of.

As for summer and winter: You can actually have both summer and winter in a tropic climate. The difference in temperature won't be large, but it doesn't mean that it by definition has to be non-existent. To confuse the overall picture, winter and summer are not only climatic terms but astrological ones, defining the months of summer solstice (on the Northern Hemisphere June 21) untill the balance day of autumn (September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere). This means that you can talk about summer and winter, even if the weather changes only slightly.

However, you can speak to anyone in the DR - there is quite a difference in both humidity and temperature depending on time of year. The months of summer are generally hotter than the months of winter. Statistics prove this. This is partly due to the fact that the DR is in the outskirts of the tropic belt, not on the Equator itself where variation is almost non-existent.

Regards,
Susanne