Daily Weather in Haiti

Five Day Forecast for Port-au-Prince:

The following is a five day forecast for Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. The five day forecast will cover the following days: March 18, 2014; March 19, 2014; March 20, 2014; March 21, 2014; March 22, 2014. The forecasted high for March 18, 2014, is 88°F, with a forcasted low of 77°F. The precipitation percent for March 18 is 15%. The forecasted high for March 19, 2014, is 88°F; the forecasted low is 77°F. The precipitation percent is 16%. The forecast for March 20 is: a forecasted high of 88°F, a forecasted low of 77°F, and a precipitation percent of 16%. The forecast for March 21, 2014 is: a forecasted high of 87°F, a forecasted low of 77°F, and a precipitation percent of 18%. A high of 87°F, a low of 77°F, and a precipitation percent of 19 is forecasted for March 22, 2014. (wunderground.com) 

Current Satellite Image:

Screenshot from WunderMap, taken March 18, 2014.

 Above is a satellite image taken of Haiti, with a market over Port-au-Prince. Grey and white shaded areas represent low, warm clouds whilst blue clouds represent high, cold clouds. Coming in from the Dominican Republic are high clouds. There are situated in the North-East part of Haiti. Low, warm clouds are lightly scattered throughout the country: some are located in the center of the island nation, while others are resting over South-Eastern coast. 

Screenshot taken March 18, 2014, from WunderMap

This next image is a satellite image of Port-au-Prince. To be quite honest, I'm not sure if there are thin, low warm clouds over the capital or if there is heavy pollution, as Port-au-Prince and its surrounding neighborhoods are densely populated. The green areas on the map represent forests. 

Regional (Synoptic) Patterns of Low and High Pressure and Fronts:

From Intellicast. Screenshot taken March 18, 2014

Above is a map of the Caribbean. Observed isobar pressures are: 1016 mb over Florida, 1016 mb North East of the Hispaniola and Porto Rico, and 1012 mb off of the coast of Central America. High and Low pressures are not present of this particular map. A cold front located over Cuba from Florida moves toward Hispaniola.

From Intellicast. Screenshot taken March 18, 2014.

On the larger map of the Continental US, several low and high pressure areas are present. In respect to the Caribbean region, there is a high in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana and Florida, and a Low off the coast off of Virginia and North Carolina. Also, there is a high present over North Carolina. The Cold front over Cuba is a part of a mid-latitude cyclone (the center of which is the low off of the coast of Virginia and North Carolina). Another mid-latitude cyclone is approaching the end of its "life" over Kansas and Missouri.

Global and local winds in Haiti

Location and Global Wind:
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:

Image from Wikipedia

As previously stated, Haiti lies towards the center of the Northern Hadley cell. Due to its distance from the Equator and Sub-tropical high, Haiti experiences a warm, tropical, humid climate with high rates of precipitation. Separation from the polar fronts prevents Haiti from experiencing seasonality like other nations located within the mid-latitude cells. Seasons, therefore, are mild. Trade winds help to regulate Haiti's climate, bringing cool air from the north-east over Hispaniola. Rain shadows exist in Haiti due to orographic lifting on the leeward side of the island, which is a part of the Dominican Republic (Woods, C.).  Hispaniola's position within the Hadley cell and distance from the Equator and Sub-tropical high also affects its weather. Precipitation that occurs within the area is rain, formed mainly by the collision-coalescence process. Tropical storms can also effect the area, as such storms form over the warm tropical waters of the region.

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.

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.