Climate of
Honduras
Eugene S. Takle
Professor
Department of Agronomy
gstakle@iastate.edu
Overview
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Big Picture
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Local Influences
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Global circulation
Global climate perspective
Regional and local influences
How can we explain local conditions in the
context of global and regional influences?
Climate change
Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/html/costaricaclimate.html
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/html/costaricaclimate.html
wet
dry
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/html/costaricaclimate.html
Tegucigalpa
Elevation 1,007 m
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http://www.honduras-information.hotelhonduras.com/honduras-climate-weather.html
Climate of Honduras
Honduras is hot and humid almost year-round.
Temperatures vary by altitude rather than season. The
average high temperature nationwide is 32oC (90oF)
and the average low is 20oC (68oF). Temperatures are
coolest in mountain areas.
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http://www.honduras-information.hotelhonduras.com/honduras-climate-weather.html
Climate of Honduras
The Caribbean coast can experience a lot of rain, the
heaviest being from September to February. In
Tegucigalpa, the capital, the climate remains more
temperate and the dry season takes place from
December to May. The capital can get chilly between
December and January when the temperature in the city
hovers around 23oC (73oF).
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http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Climate of Honduras
Although all of Honduras lies within the tropics, the
climatic types of each of the three physiographic regions
differ. The Caribbean lowlands have a tropical wet climate
with consistently high temperatures and humidity, and
rainfall fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The
Pacific lowlands have a tropical wet and dry climate with
high temperatures but a distinct dry season from
November through April. The interior highlands also have
a distinct dry season, but, as is characteristic of a tropical
highland climate, temperatures in this region decrease as
elevation increases.
http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Climate of Honduras
Unlike in more northerly latitudes, temperatures in the
tropics vary primarily with elevation instead of with the
season. Both the Caribbean and Pacific lowlands have
daytime highs averaging between 28o C and 32o C
throughout the year. In the Pacific lowlands, April, the
last month of the dry season, brings the warmest
temperatures; the rainy season is slightly cooler,
although higher humidity during the rainy season makes
these months feel more uncomfortable. In the
Caribbean lowlands, the only relief from the year-round
heat and humidity comes during December or January
when an occasional strong cold front from the north
brings several days of strong northwest winds and
slightly cooler temperatures.
http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Climate of Honduras
Tegucigalpa, in a sheltered valley and at an elevation of
1,000 meters, has a pleasant climate, with an average
high temperature ranging from 30o C in April, the
warmest month, to 25o C in January, the coolest. Above
2,000 meters, temperatures can fall to near freezing at
night, and frost sometimes occurs.
http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Climate of Honduras
Rain falls year round in the Caribbean lowlands but is
seasonal throughout the rest of the country. Amounts
are copious along the north coast, especially in the
Mosquitia, where the average rainfall is 2,400
millimeters. Nearer San Pedro Sula, amounts are
slightly less from November to April, but each month
still has considerable precipitation. The interior
highlands and Pacific lowlands have a dry season,
known locally as "summer," from November to April.
Almost all the rain in these regions falls during the
"winter," from May to September. Total yearly amounts
depend on surrounding topography; Tegucigalpa, in a
sheltered valley, averages only 1,000 millimeters of
precipitation.
http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Climate of Honduras
Honduras lies within the hurricane belt, and the
Caribbean coast is particularly vulnerable to
hurricanes or tropical storms that travel inland from
the Caribbean. Hurricane Francelia in 1969 and
Tropical Storm Alleta in 1982 affected thousands of
people and caused extensive damage to crops.
Hurricane Fifi in 1974 was the worst natural disaster in
recent Honduran history (until Hurricane Mitch, 1998);
more than 8,000 people were killed, and nearly the
entire banana crop was destroyed. Hurricanes
occasionally form over the Pacific and move north to
affect southern Honduras, but Pacific storms are
generally less severe and their landfall rarer.
http://countrystudies.us/honduras/37.htm
Mangroves Protect the Coastline
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Hurricane Mitch:
26 Oct - 4 Nov 1998
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Deadliest hurricane in
Honduras in 200 years
Monday - October 26th, 1998 - 9:00 a.m
Mitch is classified in the fifth one - with winds surpassing 150 mph.
Monday - October 26th 1998 - 12:00 noon
Hurricane Mitch has been upgraded to a category 5, Sustained winds of 175 MPH have been reported.
Monday - October 26th, 1998 - 2:15 p.m.
Hurricane Mitch is expected to begin hitting the Bay Islands within one hour of this writing. Two hours later
(05:00 local time) it is expected to reach the mainland of Honduras. The local TV and radio stations have been
constantly warning citizens of the impending danger and providing tips. Water, batteries, candles and other
necessary survival items have been sold out in the few stores that are open at this time (two am Monday
morn). These stores are packed with customers stocking up on food and other provisions. Gas stations also
are doing a booming business as drivers fill their tanks in anticipation of the hurricane. Reports of the hurricane
indicate that it is presently classified as a number 5 (five) type - which means winds in excess of 150 mph! We
here at Honduras.com will continue to provide updates of the impact of Hurricane Mitch as long as our
communication lines stay open :) May God Bless Honduras and Protect Her!!!
By O Ma R Orbison
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http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/rsd/images/Mitch/mitch3_md.jpg
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http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/rsd/images/Mitch/mitch3_md.jpg
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Summary for Policy Makers
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Summary for Policy Makers
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report Summary for Policy Makers
Tropical Atlantic Ocean
Hurricane Power Dissipation Index (PDI)
Sea-surface temperature
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V
V
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Emanual, Kerry, 2005: Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over
the past 30 years. Nature, 436, 686-688.
Is Global Warming Affecting
Hurricanes?
Kerry Emanuel
Date/Time:
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2008 at 7:00 pm
Location:
Gallery, Memorial Union
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Kerry Emanuel is a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. His research interests focus on tropical meteorology and climate,
with a specialty in hurricane physics. Emanuel is the author or coauthor of over one
hundred peer-reviewed scientific papers and two books, including Divine Wind: The
History and Science of Hurricanes, recently released by Oxford University Press. It
received the 2007 Louis Battan Author's Award from the American Meteorological
Society. Sigma Xi Spring Lecture.
Weather Reports
Roatan: http://www.weatherreports.com/Honduras/Roatan
Tegucigalpa
http://www.weatherreports.com/Honduras/Tegucigalpa
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