Climate Change Overview

Country Summary

This page presents high-level information for Puerto Rico'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 Puerto Rico's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.

 

The archipelago of Puerto Rico includes the main island of Puerto Rico (the smallest of the Greater Antilles) and a number of smaller islands, the largest of which are Mona, Vieques, and Culebra. The total area of the main island is 9,105 km2. Puerto Rico has an estimated population of 3.2 million (2020) people. Puerto Rico's economy is driven by the industry, services, and agriculture sectors (2017). Puerto Rico is especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to its geographical location. It is especially prone to hurricanes, in which in 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the territory and caused an extensive loss of infrastructure, electrical power outages to 90% of the territory, and contamination of potable water.