Climate Change Overview

Country Summary

This page presents high-level information for Dominica's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter).  Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Dominica's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.

 

Dominica is located at 15 degrees North and 61 degrees West, occupying a central position in the eastern Caribbean archipelago. The island is approximately 750.6 square kilometers (290 square miles) and is the largest in the Windward and Leeward groups of the Eastern Caribbean. Dominica is part of a group of 47 countries and territories that have been classified by the United Nations (UN) as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that face a specific set of challenges and are especially highly vulnerable to the effects and impacts of climate change. Dominica is volcanic in origin and is characterized by very rugged and steep terrain with approximately ninety miles of coastline. A chain of mountains extends from the islands center to the south and the topography is characterized by a number of ridges and steep river valleys with gently sloping lands being restricted to narrow coastal strips, particularly in the center and northeast of the island. Dominica has a forest area of 45 000 hectares – constituting more than half of the island’s 75 000 hectare over all land area. Dominica’s economy is highly dependent on external trade, mainly of agricultural products. The economy is also supported by its tourism sector. Population is approximately 71,991 (2020) people.

Dominica, by its very nature, is vulnerable to climate change from numerous natural disasters arising from meteorological events, such as excess rainfall and hurricanes, and geophysical events, such as earthquakes, and tsunami. These events significantly harm both the population’s socioeconomic well-being and the country’s general economic and fiscal stability. Particularly damaging are events associated with excessive or prolonged rainfall, which provokes flooding and landslide activity.