Climate Notes February/March 2008

February marks the midpoint of the dry season here in Puerto Rico. On average, the Luis Muñoz International Airport receives only 2.21 inches of rain during the month of February*, making February the second driest month on the island. February is also the second coolest month on average here in Puerto Rico, with an average daily temperature of 77.0 ºF*, 0.2 ºF warmer than January, the coolest month of the year.

Islandwide, Puerto Rico received, on average, approximately 0.44” less rainfall than normal, or 81% of the normal value, for the month of February. The northern slopes of the islands received above normal precipitation every week of the month, while the remainder of the island saw below normal rainfall for the month of February (the north coast received just below average rainfall, while the interior and southern sections of the island received only about 60% of their normal rainfall – see attached graphic below). By the end of February, Puerto Rico had received 94% of its average rainfall year-to-date. The highest maximum temperature was 92 ºF, reported in Arecibo on the 1st of February, while the coldest temperature of the month was 49 ºF, reported in Adjuntas several times during the month.

At the Luis Muñoz International Airport in San Juan, the average monthly temperature was 76.6 ºF*, which was -0.4 ºF lower than normal, with a maximum temperature of 85 ºF, reported on the 27th of the month, and a minimum temperature of 70 ºF, reported several times. A total of 1.98 inches of rainfall was reported at the Luis Muñoz International Airport, which was 0.32 inches below normal, well shy of the record of 6.69” recorded in February, 1982. The driest February on record was February 1983, when only 0.20” of rainfall was recorded in San Juan.

Looking ahead, March marks the driest month at the Luis Muñoz International Airport in San Juan, with only 2.17 inches of rainfall received on average*. The average high temperature at the Luis Muñoz International Airport in San Juan is 78.0 ºF*, a full 1 ºF warmer than February. Presently, La Niña conditions are expected to continue through the remainder of the spring, and a detailed summary of these current ENSO conditions and forecasts can be found at:

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.pdf

* All climate averages for San Juan taken from 52 continuous year period of 1956-2007 *