| Jamaica's tropical climate is influenced by the sea and is characterized
by little change in seasonal temperature, although the mountains cause
regional variations. Because the island lies between the subtropical high-pressure
and the equatorial low-pressure belts of the Atlantic Ocean, the northeast
trade winds are dominant and blow throughout the year. Along the coasts,
breezes blow onshore by day and offshore at night. During the winter months,
from December to March, cold winds known locally as "northers" reach the
island through the wide, open trough of the North American plains.
Variations in temperature range from 90 F (32 C) on the coasts to 40 F (4 C) on the peaks. Kingston, at sea level, has an average daily maximum temperature of 88 F (31 C) and an average daily minimum of 71 F (22 C). At Stony Hill, 1,400 feet above sea level, the maximum and minimum means are 86 F (30 C) and 68 F (20 C).  Rains are seasonal, falling chiefly in October and May, although thunderstorms in the summer months, from June to September, can bring heavy showers. The average annual rainfall for the entire island is 82 inches (2,095 millimetres), but regional variations are considerable. The mountains force the trade winds to deposit more than 130 inches a year on the eastern parish of Portland, while little precipitation occurs on the hot, dry savanna lands of the southern and southwestern plains. Jamaica is susceptible to hurricanes during the summer but after 1951 it was not struck until Hurricane Allen in 1980 and Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Earthquakes have caused serious damage only twice--in 1692 and 1907. |
| Current weather satellite image of the Caribbean |
| Four day forecast in Kingston |
| Montego Bay extended forecast |