Puerto Plata climate
Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C80 °F, and about 724 mm28 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Puerto Plata climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 2374 | 2577 | 502.0 |
| Feb | 2780 | 2374 | 2577 | 291.2 |
| Mar | 2780 | 2374 | 2577 | 391.5 |
| Apr | 2882 | 2475 | 2678 | 461.8 |
| May | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 783.1 |
| Jun | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 502.0 |
| Jul | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 572.2 |
| Aug | 3086 | 2780 | 2883 | 662.6 |
| Sep | 3086 | 2780 | 2883 | 763.0 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2679 | 2882 | 803.1 |
| Nov | 2883 | 2578 | 2780 | 993.9 |
| Dec | 2781 | 2476 | 2679 | 542.1 |
| Year | 3086 | 2374 | 2780 | 72428 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 45% | 4.1 | 11:03 |
| Feb | 78% | 42% | 4.9 | 11:28 |
| Mar | 77% | 47% | 5.5 | 11:59 |
| Apr | 78% | 52% | 5.9 | 12:35 |
| May | 80% | 63% | 5.7 | 13:04 |
| Jun | 81% | 56% | 6.1 | 13:19 |
| Jul | 81% | 50% | 6.1 | 13:13 |
| Aug | 81% | 50% | 6.0 | 12:48 |
| Sep | 80% | 53% | 5.6 | 12:13 |
| Oct | 80% | 54% | 4.9 | 11:39 |
| Nov | 79% | 53% | 4.1 | 11:10 |
| Dec | 79% | 46% | 3.9 | 10:56 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Puerto Plata is like
The warmest month is September, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 27 °C80 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 23 °C74 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.3 °C6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 724 mm28 in. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 35% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (99 mm3.9 in), the driest is February (29 mm1.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in March to 81% in June. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 42%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (8 mph) in October to 16 km/h (10 mph) in July. Daylight lasts from about 10.9 hours in December to 13.3 hours in June.
Best time to visit Puerto Plata
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–April: average highs of 27 °C80 °F to 28 °C82 °F with 29 mm1.2 in to 54 mm2.1 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is September, which is humid (80% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Puerto Plata
- Wetter months (May, August–November) — highs 2883 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2577 to 27 °C80 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Drier months (December–April, June and July) — highs 2780 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 2374 to 26 °C79 °F, about 47 mm1.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Puerto Plata compares
Compared with Santiago de los Caballeros, about 38 km to the south, Puerto Plata is on average 0.9 °C1.5 °F warmer and receives 15% more precipitation (724 mm28 in vs 627 mm25 in). The difference is largest in December (1.8 °C3.2 °F warmer).
Of the 9 places in the Dominican Republic covered by World Climates, Puerto Plata is the 7th warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Dominican Republic climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Cap-Haïtien (Haiti, BSh), Cockburn Town (Turks and Caicos Islands, BSh) and Port-de-Paix (Haiti, Aw).
Nearby places
- Santiago de los Caballeros 38 km · 26 °C78 °F · 627 mm25 in
- La Vega 66 km · 27 °C81 °F · 560 mm22 in
- San Francisco de Macorís 72 km · 26 °C79 °F · 655 mm26 in
- Cap-Haïtien 158 km · 27 °C81 °F · 653 mm26 in
- San Cristóbal 165 km · 27 °C81 °F · 581 mm23 in
- Santo Domingo 169 km · 27 °C81 °F · 581 mm23 in
- Cockburn Town 191 km · 27 °C80 °F · 565 mm22 in
- Dessalines 200 km · 28 °C82 °F · 542 mm21 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Puerto Plata?
September is the warmest month in Puerto Plata, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 27 °C (80 °F).
What is the coldest month in Puerto Plata?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
When does it rain the most in Puerto Plata?
November is the wettest month with about 99 mm (3.9 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 29 mm (1.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Puerto Plata?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–April.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.