Haiti is located at a latitude of 19° 00' N and a longitude 72° 25' W (Maps of the World). Therefore, the island nation is located in both Northern and Western hemispheres (worldatlas), and resides within the Hadley cell. Due to the fact that Haiti is located towards the middle of the Hadley cell, the nation is located south of the Horse latitudes and north of the Equator, receiving north-easterly trade winds (click here for a visual representation). Besides the north-easterly trade winds, Haiti experiences winds from other directions. From April to June, the prevailing winds are from the Northeast. Winds from October to November are from the Northwest (Woods, C.). Haiti is located south of the subtropical high and north of the ITCZ, a low pressure zone (click here for a visual). Haiti is not located near either of the pressure belts: Haiti is located at a latitude of 19° 00' N, while the ITCZ is located at a latitude of 5° 00' N/S (geography.about.com) , and the subtropical high pressure belt is located at the latitude of 30° 00' N. Therefore, one could argue that Haiti is located slightly closer to the subtropical high pressure belt than the ITCZ. Another important factor to note is that Haiti is in-between the Horse latitudes (30° 00' N) and the doldrums (0° 00', or the Equator). While Haiti's geographic position is somewhat closer to the Northern Horse latitude than to the doldrums, Haiti is not as affected by these two special forces as other areas (such as Florida or French Guiana) are.
Global Wind and Weather:
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| Image from Wikipedia |
Local Winds:
Topographic characteristics determine the types of local winds experienced in a geographical area. In Haiti, there are three main mountain regions, with two minor ranges and a lone peak. In northern Haiti lies the Chaine du Haut Piton; the Massif de la Selle runs southeast of the capital, Port au Prince. The southwestern end of the nation features the Massif de la Hotte. Two other mountain ranges, the Massif des Montagnes Noires and Chaine des Cahos, also are present in Haiti, as well as the lone mountain Montagne Terrible (Maps of the World). Winds or breezes have been associated with mountain ranges worldwide. Five types of breezes or winds are associated with mountains: Katabatic winds, Chinook or Foehn winds, valley breeze, mountain breeze, and Santa Ana winds. Haiti can and does experience several of these winds. Valley and mountain breezes can form in any area with valley walls. Haiti does also experience the effects of Chinnok winds,as Haiti part of Haiti is in the rain shadow of the Dominican Republic. The island nation does not experience Santa Ana winds or Katabatic winds: these types of winds are dependent on a geographic location (near a desert or near an Arctic tundra) that do not exist in Haiti. While topography can generate local winds experienced in an area, being located near a body of water can also generate local winds as well. Haiti's coastline borders with the Atlantic Ocean in the North, the Windward Passage to the east, and the Caribbean Sea to the south(Maps of the World). Two types of local breezes are associated with coastlines: sea breeze and land breeze. Haiti can and does experience both types of breezes, due to the fact that Haiti is partially surrounded by the ocean.
Haiti sounds very interesting and has many similarities and differences with Zimbabwe in regards to global wind and pressure patterns and how they affect weather and climate. Both Haiti and Zimbabwe lie in the Hadley cell, though on different sides on the equator. The trade winds affect both countries heading in a east to west direction, and are almost equidistant from the equator (19 degrees N and S latitudes). Though it seems as if weather should be similar within these two countries, this is hardly the case. Because Haiti has a coastline, it's weather is heavily influenced by sea and land breezes, while Zimbabwe is landlocked. Haiti is affected by mountain and valley breezes, as well as Chinook winds because of it's mountainous terrain on the eastern side of the country. Despite being in the rain shadow of the Dominican Republic, Haiti receives ample rainfall year-round. Zimbabwe is affected by the ITCZ during January and accounts for a rainy season from November to March, and a dry season for the rest of the year. Also because of the location of Madagascar off the coast of eastern Africa, trade winds are deviated around Madagascar and pushed in a north-easterly direction, Zimbabwe's mountain ranges in the east have very little effect on the wind.
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