Climate of Cuba

     Cuba’s coordinates fall into the tropical (equatorial) zone, but Cuba experiences the climate of a subtropical climate. Because of wind patterns and because Cuba is an island, Cuba experiences a subtropical moderate and stable climate. “The combination of prevailing trade winds (northeast in the summer and southeast in the winter), the warm waters of the Gulf Stream, and the resulting sea breezes serve to provide Cuba with a moderate and stable climate” (Perez, Jr. 7)

Climate is an average of daily weather taken over a year’s time. A region’s climate can be determined with two primary factors—temperature and precipitation. Cuba’s daily temperature averages to 25.8^o C, and seasonally, changes by only 5^o C (Peros 70).  Cuba’s average annual precipitation is 40-60 in. (Veregin 21).

There are three major points that affect temperature: 1. latitude, 2. coastal versus inland, 3. elevation. Latitude is a determining factor in temperature because of insolation and the equator.  “Insolation refers to the flow rate of incoming solar radiation. It is high when the sun is high in the sky. Insolation depends on the angle of the Sun above the horizon” (Strahler 57).The equator generally experiences high temperatures because of it’s proximity to the Sun’s angle and the distance from the Sun’s rays. Depending on the time of the year, the equator spends most of its time in direct vertical rays and closest to the Sun. Therefore, the further from the equator a person travels the further from higher heat they get. Cuba is 20o N of the equator, this is the first component that determines Cuba’s average daily temperature.

The second component to Cuba’s average daily temperature is coastal versus inland.  Temperature fluctuations tend to be less for locations near water, because water heats and cools at a slower pace than land.  “And since winds can easily cause air to flow from water to land, a coastal location will more often feel the influence of the adjacent water” (Strahler 89) Since Cuba is surrounded by coastal on all four sides, Cuba’s temperatures are moderated and stabilized by the trade winds.

The third component to Cuba’s temperature is elevation. Elevation is a determining factor, because the atmosphere has a harder time holding onto heat at higher elevations. The majority of Cuba resides at sea level, with the exception of its three major mountain ranges.

In Goode’s World Atlas, the map of annual precipitation and ocean currents shows that Cuba is very even with it’s annual precipitation. Cuba’s annual precipitation is 40-60 in. (as noted above)—with the exception of the west side of the Bay of Guacanayabo.  This area receives an annual average precipitation of 60-80 in. (Veregin 20).  The possible explanation for this change in precipitation would be that this area is the opposite side of a rainshadow.  A rainshadow is a belt of dry climate as a result of a mountain barrier.  As warm air is forced to higher elevation by the mountain barrier, the air is cooled as it rises and gets to its dew point which releases rain.  Therefore, as the air reaches the opposite of the mountain barrier, it has lost its moisture.  The west side of the Bay of Guacanayabo would be an example of the area that receives the lost moisture.

The rainy season for Cuba is between May and October. “The distribution and quantity of precipitation between May and October is also influenced by the equatorial low-pressure zone, producing during the rainy season heavy and often severe thunderstorms” (Perez, Jr. 8)

Another contribution to Cuba’s annual precipitation is cyclones and hurricanes. “[Cyclones] develop in the northeast trade winds in the tropical Atlantic and in the Caribbean Sea itself” (Haggett 480). Cuba is one of the buffer islands between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. “Cyclones generally pass through the Caribbean in a west-northwest direction, but at latitudes of around 20-25^o N they curve to the northeast” (Haggett 480). Cuba is directly northeast of the Caribbean Sea and sits between 20-25^o N