Climate: Caribbean
Climate: Caribbean
The Climate of the Caribbean
The Caribbean climate is tropical, moderated to a certain extent by the prevailing north-east trade winds. Individual climatic conditions are strongly dependent on elevation. The long rainy season lasts from May to October and the dry season from December to March. Even in the wet season, precipitation varies depending on local topography; for example, the windward side of islands with mountains receive more rain than the leeward side.
Hurricanes
Tropical Revolving Storms have considerable impact on aviation, causing considerable damage to infrastructure and aircraft caught on the ground and a significant hazard to aircraft in flight.
The Hurricane season lasts from June to November and affects most Caribbean islands north of Grenada. Barbados and Trinidad, in the south-east, seldom experience hurricanes. The frequency and severity of storms varies from year to year and may be influenced by other climatic factors such as El Niño/La Niña.
The following map shows the Köppen climate classification for the Caribbean and neighbouring territory. The area affected by Hurricanes is shown in grey:
Map showing areas affected by Hurricanes in the Caribbean
Airports
The following map shows the Köppen climate classification for aerodromes across the Caribbean which are listed on SKYbrary:
Related Articles
Categories
