Researching Climate of Kingston, Jamaica
EssayChat / Sep 8, 2018
Like much of Jamaica, the climate of Kingston, is tropical, with wet summers and drier winters, but hot year-round (Lonely Planet). Kingston is warm in coastal areas, though cooler in the mountains, yet temperatures at higher altitudes are still relatively hot (Lonely Planet). In the city, the temperature ranges from about 21 to 33 degrees C, with the warmest months coming in July and August. In the Blue Mountains outside of the city, the temperature spread runs from about 12 C to 24 C (Jamaica Meteorological Service). Relative humidity ranges from 64 to 85 in the city itself, and from 83 to 90 in the Blue Mountains (Jamaica Meteorological Service).
The average annual rainfall for the Kingston area is 1980 mm, much of that precipitation falling in the late summer and early fall (Lonely Planet). The mountains see much more rain than the city itself, with up to 396 mm of rain falling in a given November, versus only 177 mm falling in the same month in the city (Jamaica Meteorological Service). October can also dump a lot of rain--with 14 rain days in the month of October, for instance. This is because late summer and early fall is also peak hurricane season, with August and September generally being the worst months for these storms, but with the season extending well into November (Lonely Planet).
Moreover, climate change is already making itself felt in Kingston, since extreme weather events, such as more powerful and more frequent hurricanes, followed by more intense periods of drought, have already caused billions of dollars worth of damage, especially to the agriculture industry (United Nations Development Program).
Overall, the climate of Kingston varies considerably from area to area, from being wet and cool in the Mountains to being hot and dry in the lower altitudes in the more urban areas of the city itself.
Works Cited
Jamaica Meteorological Service. "Mean Climatological Data." Jamaica Meteorological Service.
Lonely Planet. "Climate."
United Nations Development Program. "Jamaica: Coping with Climate Change." United Nations Development Program.
The average annual rainfall for the Kingston area is 1980 mm, much of that precipitation falling in the late summer and early fall (Lonely Planet). The mountains see much more rain than the city itself, with up to 396 mm of rain falling in a given November, versus only 177 mm falling in the same month in the city (Jamaica Meteorological Service). October can also dump a lot of rain--with 14 rain days in the month of October, for instance. This is because late summer and early fall is also peak hurricane season, with August and September generally being the worst months for these storms, but with the season extending well into November (Lonely Planet).Moreover, climate change is already making itself felt in Kingston, since extreme weather events, such as more powerful and more frequent hurricanes, followed by more intense periods of drought, have already caused billions of dollars worth of damage, especially to the agriculture industry (United Nations Development Program).
Overall, the climate of Kingston varies considerably from area to area, from being wet and cool in the Mountains to being hot and dry in the lower altitudes in the more urban areas of the city itself.
Works Cited
Jamaica Meteorological Service. "Mean Climatological Data." Jamaica Meteorological Service.
Lonely Planet. "Climate."
United Nations Development Program. "Jamaica: Coping with Climate Change." United Nations Development Program.