Weather - Beautiful, Unpredictable, & Sometimes Unbearable

     Earlier today I thought to myself, "What would be the first topic I should discuss on this blog?" The first thing that popped up into my head was the weather. How could I not talk about the weather first! Well, I arrived in Santo Domingo Airport on June 1st at about 10:00 a.m. When we were landing on the strip, I noticed that it was drizzling rain and the skies were gray. I picked up my suitcases and as the doors opened to go outside, I was hit with this dry air. Then, I come to see that the sun had decided to come out. What a wonderful combination, dry air and the blazing sun. Mind you, I dressed comfortably with a pair of jeans, sandals, and a light blouse and immediately began to sweat. One thing, as a person who lives in the north, you must become accustomed to the weather here. Of course, the Dominican Republic is a tropical island and it is hot. What I am trying to really get at, is that the weather will change in an instant. In a matter of about 20 minutes, it went from raining to sunshine. Even now, day 18, I am still not sure if I should keep checking the weather online because I will never know what mother nature has in store for me that day. Lately, it has been raining a lot but, when it rains it either rains "full force"/for a long time OR it will rain on and off.
     Generally, I have been experiencing a lot of heat here. This week, though, it is supposed to rain and rain and rain. From what I've noticed, when it is really hot for a long time, it soon will rain for a long time as well to compensate for the lack of water. I have read some articles and they say that the summer season is from May to early October. I've asked a couple of people about the weather and the majority have commented that they haven't felt this intense heat so early in the season before, that it is shocking. They say that July and August are the hottest months that you can experience here. If I am getting a little annoyed by the heat now, imagine me in July and August; I might go crazy! And we must not forget about the humidity which increases in this season.

"Aguacero" the term we use when there is heavy, heavy rain.
DiarioLibre.com

     Overall, you can definitely enjoy the hot weather and how the rays of sunlight fall on this island giving it a beautiful look whether it be on the beaches or in the city. You may see a lot of people wearing jackets and long sleeved shirts and long dress pants. This is for two reasons. First, to go to work you have to dress professionally. Second, most of the people you see riding motorcycles do it because it's their job. For example, they may have to do deliveries or it can be their mode of transportation. When you're outside in the sun all day, you obviously will tan, and tan fast. You will also see many pedestrians with light colored umbrellas. They wear the long sleeved jackets and use the umbrellas to protect their skin from the sun. Many newspapers try to announce to keep cool and keep covered to prevent against skin cancer.

Man wetting his face with water from water bottle.
DiarioLibre.com

People setting up pools as a method of cooling off.
DiarioLibre.com

     *Make note that it definitely depends on your location for the type of weather you might experience. The more south you travel in the country, the hotter it will be and the cooler it will be in the north, going closer or farther from the equator. There is also another reason for the differences in climate that has to do with mountain ranges. The most north mountain range is called la Cordillera Septentrional. This mountain range extends from the vicinity of the city of Monte Cristi to Nagua (west to east). The next and highest range in the whole West Indies is called la Cordillera Central (central mountain range). This range bends southward and finishes near San Cristobal. You can also find the 4 highest peaks in la Cordillera Central which are Pico Duarte, La Pelona, La Rucilla, and Pico Yaque. Below this mountain range, you can find two more. Sierra de Neiba is the more northern one and the Sierra de Bahoruco is the southern one.

Geographic Map of Dominican Republic
http://notidiarias.com/2010/12/08/la-importancia-de-llamarse-republica-dominicana/mapa-geografico-rep-dom/

     Now that I have given you a lesson on the mountain ranges, let's discuss them in regards to climate. As mentioned before, the more north you travel the cooler it is. Looking into this more deeply, as you travel north the altitude also increases with the mountains. In la Cordillera Central you can find the coldest places of the country due to its high altitude and very, very rare occasions of snow (more hail than snow); for example Jarabacoa where the water is very, very cold. Now, as you move south in the country, altitude decreases and although I am currently on the coast (because I am in Santo Domingo, the capital) you would think that the ocean breeze would be enough to keep the places on the coast cool, but on the contrary. A place like Santo Domingo, with low altitude and near the ocean, tends to be more hotter than let's say Santiago de los Caballeros. The ocean water actually evaporates and is very hot. On the other hand, because Santiago is more north and has a higher altitude, it is farther away from the southern coast, making it less hot and farther from the equator. This concept might be a little difficult to understand at first. If you have any corrections to make please let me know and get ready to sweat!

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