Climatology
This page presents Dominica's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Dominica’s climate is characterized as tropical maritime with dominant influences being the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the northeasterly trade winds. As a result of its mountainous terrain the island possesses a number of micro-climates. Rainfall is distributed between a dry season from December to May and a rainy season from June to November. The western Caribbean coast is in the rain shadow of the various mountain ranges and average rainfall along that coast is significantly less than in interior locations. Dominica’s rugged topography results in considerable amounts of orographic rainfall making the island susceptible to landslides particularly in mountainous areas. The dry season is from February to April and the rainy season is from June to October. The spring months, from February to April, are the driest. The heaviest rains fall during late summer and fall (August to December). The average yearly rainfall ranges from about 1,900 mm (along the coast) to 5,000 mm (inland). Hurricanes coming in from the Atlantic Ocean can be expected during summer months, usually between June and October. The peak of hurricane season is late August to early September. The island’s climate is characterized by consistently warm year-round temperatures with a daytime average of 26°C in coastal areas decreasing to 19-21°C in mountainous areas, while night-time temperatures vary from 18-22°C on the coast and 10-12°C at higher elevations. Average annual temperature is 27°C.