Climate and Average Weather Year Round in La Descubierta Dominican RepublicThe climate in La Descubierta is hot, muggy, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 67°F to 94°F and is rarely below 64°F or above 99°F. Based on the beach/pool score, the best time of year to visit La Descubierta for hot-weather activities is from late November to late April. Average Temperature in La DescubiertaThe temperature in La Descubierta varies so little throughout the year that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss hot and cold seasons.
The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the entire year of hourly average temperatures. The horizontal axis is the day of the year, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day. São Francisco do Conde, Brazil (3,120 miles away); Kisanga, Tanzania (7,659 miles); and Monaragala, Sri Lanka (9,907 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to La Descubierta (view comparison). 
Compare La Descubierta to another city:CloudsIn La Descubierta, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year in La Descubierta begins around November 18 and lasts for 5.4 months, ending around April 29. The clearest month of the year in La Descubierta is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 79% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around April 29 and lasts for 6.6 months, ending around November 18. The cloudiest month of the year in La Descubierta is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 73% of the time.
PrecipitationA wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in La Descubierta varies throughout the year. The wetter season lasts 6.7 months, from April 20 to November 10, with a greater than 12% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in La Descubierta is May, with an average of 5.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 5.3 months, from November 10 to April 20. The month with the fewest wet days in La Descubierta is February, with an average of 1.6 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in La Descubierta is May, with an average of 5.5 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 19% on May 21.
RainfallTo show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. La Descubierta experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall. The rainy period of the year lasts for 10 months, from February 18 to December 23, with a sliding 31-day rainfall of at least 0.5 inches. The month with the most rain in La Descubierta is May, with an average rainfall of 2.2 inches. The rainless period of the year lasts for 1.8 months, from December 23 to February 18. The month with the least rain in La Descubierta is January, with an average rainfall of 0.4 inches.
SunThe length of the day in La Descubierta varies over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 11 hours, 1 minute of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 13 hours, 15 minutes of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:09 AM on June 5, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 13 minutes later at 7:22 AM on January 19. The earliest sunset is at 6:08 PM on November 24, and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 19 minutes later at 7:27 PM on July 5. Daylight saving time (DST) is not observed in La Descubierta during 2024. Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in La Descubierta
The solar day over the course of the year 2024. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.
The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation. Solar Elevation and Azimuth in La Descubierta
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of the year 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).
MoonThe figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. HumidityWe base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night. La Descubierta experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity. The muggier period of the year lasts for 9.1 months, from March 20 to December 25, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 59% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in La Descubierta is October, with 29.9 days that are muggy or worse. The month with the fewest muggy days in La Descubierta is February, with 14.0 days that are muggy or worse.
WindThis section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages. The average hourly wind speed in La Descubierta experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year. The windier part of the year lasts for 3.0 months, from May 26 to August 27, with average wind speeds of more than 6.3 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in La Descubierta is July, with an average hourly wind speed of 7.7 miles per hour. The calmer time of year lasts for 9.0 months, from August 27 to May 26. The calmest month of the year in La Descubierta is October, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.9 miles per hour.
The predominant average hourly wind direction in La Descubierta is from the east throughout the year. Wind Direction in La Descubierta
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).
Water TemperatureLa Descubierta is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water. The average water temperature experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The time of year with warmer water lasts for 3.6 months, from July 26 to November 14, with an average temperature above 84°F. The month of the year in La Descubierta with the warmest water is September, with an average temperature of 84°F. The time of year with cooler water lasts for 3.0 months, from January 13 to April 11, with an average temperature below 81°F. The month of the year in La Descubierta with the coolest water is February, with an average temperature of 80°F.
Best Time of Year to VisitTo characterize how pleasant the weather is in La Descubierta throughout the year, we compute two travel scores. The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit La Descubierta for general outdoor tourist activities is from mid December to mid March, with a peak score in the third week of January. Tourism Score in La Descubierta
The tourism score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit La Descubierta for hot-weather activities is from late November to late April, with a peak score in the third week of March. Beach/Pool Score in La Descubierta
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
MethodologyFor each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed. Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies. Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more. Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter. Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter. Growing SeasonDefinitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere). Temperatures in La Descubierta are sufficiently warm year round that it is not entirely meaningful to discuss the growing season in these terms. We nevertheless include the chart below as an illustration of the distribution of temperatures experienced throughout the year. Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in La Descubierta
frigid
15°F
freezing
32°F
very cold
45°F
cold
55°F
cool
65°F
comfortable
75°F
warm
85°F
hot
95°F
sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.
Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F. Solar EnergyThis section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation. The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 2.2 months, from February 28 to May 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.3 kWh. The brightest month of the year in La Descubierta is April, with an average of 6.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 3.5 months, from September 21 to January 4, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 5.1 kWh. The darkest month of the year in La Descubierta is October, with an average of 4.7 kWh.
TopographyFor the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of La Descubierta are 18.571 deg latitude, -71.730 deg longitude, and 102 ft elevation. The topography within 2 miles of La Descubierta contains large variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 2,116 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 399 feet. Within 10 miles contains large variations in elevation (7,195 feet). Within 50 miles also contains extreme variations in elevation (8,898 feet). The area within 2 miles of La Descubierta is covered by cropland (32%), grassland (27%), trees (25%), and water (10%), within 10 miles by trees (25%) and grassland (25%), and within 50 miles by cropland (29%) and grassland (27%). Data SourcesThis report illustrates the typical weather in La Descubierta, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016. Temperature and Dew PointThere is only a single weather station, Cibao International Airport, in our network suitable to be used as a proxy for the historical temperature and dew point records of La Descubierta. At a distance of 151 kilometers from La Descubierta, further than our threshold of 150 kilometers, this station is deemed insufficiently nearby to be relied upon as our primary source for temperature and dew point records. Consequently, the station records are blended with interpolated values from NASA's MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis , and both are corrected for elevation differences according to the International Standard Atmosphere . The weight assigned to the MERRA-2 value depends on the distance from La Descubierta to the nearest station, increasing from 0% at 150 kilometers to 100% at 200 kilometers. In this case, the MERRA-2 weight is 1%, making the weight assigned to the weather station 99%. Other DataAll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus. All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database . Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com . Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors. DisclaimerThe information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site. We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands. We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader. Please review our full terms contained on our Terms of Service page. |
