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Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, sits on the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, at the mouth of the Ozama River at approximately 18.49°N, 69.93°W. It has a tropical climate (Köppen Am/Aw) — hot and humid year-round, cooled by trade winds — with a wetter season and a drier season, and it lies squarely within the Atlantic hurricane belt.
There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay hot and steady, with daytime highs around 31–32°C and warm, humid nights, tempered by the Caribbean trade winds. The wetter season, from May to November, brings frequent afternoon showers and thunderstorms and higher humidity, and coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season, when storms can strike the exposed southern coast with destructive winds, torrential rain and surge.
There is no true winter, but the drier season from December to April is the most pleasant time, with slightly lower humidity, more sunshine, steady breezes and reduced rain. Daytime highs ease to around 29–30°C with comfortable nights near 19–20°C, and this bright, breezy, drier stretch is the peak tourist season on the island.
Santo Domingo receives on the order of 1,400–1,500 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the wetter season from May to November, with peaks around May and again in the autumn, while the winter months are markedly drier; the rain typically falls in heavy tropical downpours. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Hurricanes are the defining hazard of Santo Domingo's climate: lying in the Atlantic hurricane belt, Hispaniola is exposed to powerful storms between June and November, which can bring destructive winds, torrential rain, flooding and landslides. Between storms, the steady Caribbean trade winds keep the tropical heat comfortable and the drier winter months bright and breezy.
To follow any single measurement in Santo Domingo more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.