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The climate of Dominica
Dominica is a small island located in the Caribbean Sea. Dominica is
part of the Windward Islands (though sometimes considered the
southernmost of the Leeward Islands) of the Lesser Antilles. This
autonomous island is not to be confused with the Dominican Republic
which is located on the island of Hispaniola. Dominica is a volcanic
island, because of this large differences in altitude occur on the
island. The highest point on the island is Morne Diablotins. This
dormant volcano is situated centrally in the northern part of the
island and has an altitude of 1,447 meters. Because of its rugged
terrain combined with dense rainforests and many streams and ponds
Dominica is very popular among nature lovers. Dominica has a
tropical rainforest climate (type Af according to the Köppen climate
classification).
Rain
Precipitation patterns on Dominica do not differ much from those on
the surrounding islands. Dominica has a dry season from January
until April and a wet seasons from May until December. However,
because of its geographic location and its terrain annual
precipitation figures are higher on Dominica than on its neighbors.
Along the west coast about 1,800 millimeters of annual precipitation
can be recorded. The eastern part of the island is much wetter with
about 5,000 millimeters of annual precipitation. On the windward
sides of the mountains annual precipitation figures may rise up to
8,000-9,000 millimeters.
Temperatures
Temperatures are high all year round. During the day temperatures rise
to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). During the night
temperatures drop to about 21-22 degrees Celsius (70-73 degrees
Fahrenheit). During the winter temperatures are slightly lower than
during the summer. Because of high humidity figures it may feel
warmer than it is, especially in the interior. This also applies to
the leeward side of the mountains where there is no wind.
Hurricanes
Dominica is located centrally in the supply route of tropical storms
and hurricanes. This means there is a large risk of these phenomena.
In 1979 hurricane David, a force-5 hurricane caused an extreme
amount of damage. In 2007 hurricane Dean, a force-1 hurricane also
caused damage on the island. Hurricane season is from the end of
June till the beginning of December. Dominica doesn’t get hit by a
hurricane every year. However, there is always a risk of tropical
storms.
Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate
records. They are an average for the island of Dominica
(Please, bear in mind that local deviations may occur)
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:
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
