Typical Weather and Tourism in Haiti

 This post will be looking at seasonal weather in Haiti.This post will also explore tourist activities in Haiti. In order to simplify things, I have decided to focus primarily on the capital city, Port-au-Prince, which is frequented by tourists and foreign dignitaries.

Weather on the Winter Solstice in Haiti:

In Haiti, the Winter Solstice for 2014 occurs on Sunday, December 21st (WeatherSpark). The maximum temperature during this month is about 31°C. The minimum temperature during December is about 22°C for the city of Port-au-Prince (World Weather and Climate Information). The type of precipitation that is likely to occur on the Winter Solstice is rain.  The capital of Port-au-Prince typically receives about 31 mm of rain during December (Climate-Data.org). 

Weather on the Summer Solstice in Haiti:

In Haiti, the Summer Solstice for 2014 occurs on Saturday, June 21st (WeatherSpark). The maximum temperature during the month is 35°C.  The minimum temperature during June is about 24°C (World Weather and Climate Information). The type of precipitation that is likely to occur on the Summer Solstice is rain. This is due to the fact that the city of Port-au-Prince receives about 96mm of rain during June. The Summer Solstice occurs just after Port-au-Prince's "rainiest" month, May, which experiences 219mm of rain (Climate-Data.org). 

 Weather on the Spring Equinox: 

The Spring Equinox for Haiti in 2014 occurs on March 20th (WeatherSpark). The maximum temperature during the month in Port-au-Prince is about 33°C. The minimum temperature during March in Port-au-Prince is about 22 °C(World Weather and Climate Information). The type of precipitation that is likely to occur on the Spring Equinox is rain. This is due to the fact that Port-au-Prince experiences 72mm of rain in March (Climate-Data.org). 

 Weather on the Autumnal Equinox:

The Autumnal Equinox for Haiti in 2014 occurs on Tuesday, September 23rd (WeatherSpark). The maximum temperature in Port-au-Prince during the month is about 34°C. The minimum temperature during September in the capital is about 24°C (World Weather and Climate Information). The type of precipitation that is likely to occur on the Autumnal Equinox is rain. This is due to the fact that the average precipitation in Port-au-Prince for the month of September is 166 mm (Climate-Data.org).

 Travel Agent Advice:

If you were a tourist visiting Haiti, based on the information above I would recommend traveling in December. Based on the aforementioned data, December has the least precipitation and cooler temperature. During the Winter, one can participate in many fun activities. Two possible activities would be to go hiking in one of  Haiti's beautiful national parks or go sight-seeing at the Iron Market in Port-au-Prince (World Travel Guide).  December is a great time to visit Haiti because there are no expected weather hazards! Hurricane season in Haiti is from June to November (gov.uk). While a number of hurricanes and floods have ravaged Haiti in the past, much of the flooding occurred during rainy seasons (click here for a full list of documented natural disasters).

              

Image of Baie de l'Acul by Nick Hobgood.

   Play outdoors all day in beautiful Haiti!

Temperature Controls in the city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti

From The University of Texas at Austin

This post will discuss the temperature controls for Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince.  Geographic location and impact on regional temperature shall be used to analyze the temperature controls of the capital. Two temperature controls shall be analyzed: one that affects the city, and one that does not. Haiti's future climate will also be addressed at the end of this post.

The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince. The latitude and longitude of the capital is 18º 32' N and 72º 20' W. (Maps of the World). The coldest months in Port-au-Prince are December and January, where the average monthly temperature is about 87.8°F (about 31°C). The warmest months are June, July, and August, when average monthly temperature is about 95°F (about 35°C) (World Weather and Climate Information).  Based on the aformentioned information, the annual range of temperature for Port-au-Prince is 9.7 (°F).

Various temperature controls affect the regional temperature of Port-au-Prince. One of such temperature controls that impact Port-au-Prince's regional temperature is differential heating of land and water. The capital is located in the Gulf of Gonave and is situated in a hilly region (World Atlas). The differential heating between the ocean and land make annual fluctuations smaller (than if Port-au-Prince were not by a body of water). A temperature control that does not impact regional temperature is altitude. The average elevation of Port-au-Prince is 44 meters (Monagabay). The city itself is 65 meters, or 213 feet above sea level (dateandtime.info).  For reference, Mauna Kea is 13,803 ft above sea level (National Geographic Education). Unlike Mauna Kea, Port-au-Prince does not experience snow due to low atmospheric pressure.Thus, the city is too close to sea level to be affected by altitude. 

A prediction on Haiti's future climate can be assessed. According to the Huffington Post, Haiti is one of the top thirty countries that are predicted to be "hit hardest" by climate change (Huffington Post). Due to rising ocean temperatures, the ocean will continue to expand. As an island nation, Haiti will expect to lose some portion of their coastline. Because of its proximity to the Gulf of Gonave, Port-au-Prince should expect a rise of sea level as well. Increasing ocean temperatures can also raise air temperature, changing the climate of the region, affecting cloud formation. Ocean currents may also be affected.

In conclusion, Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, has an annual range of temperature of 9.7°F. The temperature of Port-au-Prince is affected by differential heating of land and water, but is not affected by altitude. Also, Port-au-Prince may experience a rise in sea level in the future due to rising ocean temperatures.