Climate of Puerto Rico

Average Climate

The climate is Tropical Marine with an average temperature of 80 °F (26 °C). The coldest month is January with an average low of 70 °F (21 °C) and an average high of 83 °F (28 °C).

Puerto Rico enjoys warm, sunny and humid days most of the year. There is no winter, spring or fall, only summertime. The winds move from the east to west across the island year-round. The temperature in the south is usually a few degrees higher than the north and temperatures in the central interior mountains are always cooler than the rest of the island.

Puerto Rico is expose to the cyclones of Caribbean, although less than Jamaica, Cuba, and the Lesser Antilles. Hurricanes frequently occur between August and October, although the U.S. National Weather Service considers the hurricane season for the North Atlantic Basin to run from June 1 to November 30. The North Atlantic Basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane seasons during 1995-2004 have averaged 13.6 tropical storms (34-63 knots), 7.8 hurricanes (>63 knots) and 3.8 major hurricanes (>95 knots).

The relative humidity is high, about 80% throughout the year.

Temperatures

Temperatures range from 70 to 90 °F (21 to 32 °C) in the lower elevations, while higher elevations in the central part of the island experience temperatures between 61 and 80 °F (16 and 27 °C) year-round.

Precipitation

The island wettest month is August with 7 inches (18cm) of rain. Puerto Rico's rainy season lasts from April to November and the driest season is December to March. Because of the island's topography, rainfall varies greatly across the island, average ranges from 29.32 inches (745 mm) in Magueyes Island to 171.09 inches (4,346 mm) in Pico del Este averages of rainfall a year. There is more rain in the north than in the south.