Santo Domingo climate
Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 581 mm23 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Santo Domingo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2170 | 2578 | 241.0 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 210.8 |
| Mar | 3087 | 2271 | 2679 | 220.9 |
| Apr | 3188 | 2373 | 2781 | 401.6 |
| May | 3188 | 2475 | 2781 | 682.7 |
| Jun | 3188 | 2577 | 2882 | 481.9 |
| Jul | 3289 | 2577 | 2883 | 552.2 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2577 | 2883 | 682.7 |
| Sep | 3289 | 2577 | 2883 | 602.4 |
| Oct | 3188 | 2576 | 2882 | 642.5 |
| Nov | 3087 | 2374 | 2780 | 682.7 |
| Dec | 3085 | 2272 | 2679 | 421.7 |
| Year | 3289 | 2170 | 2781 | 58123 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75% | 42% | 4.6 | 11:08 |
| Feb | 72% | 36% | 5.4 | 11:31 |
| Mar | 70% | 38% | 6.0 | 11:59 |
| Apr | 71% | 44% | 6.2 | 12:33 |
| May | 75% | 56% | 6.0 | 12:00 |
| Jun | 76% | 54% | 6.0 | 13:14 |
| Jul | 76% | 49% | 6.1 | 13:08 |
| Aug | 77% | 51% | 5.8 | 12:45 |
| Sep | 77% | 54% | 5.6 | 12:13 |
| Oct | 79% | 53% | 5.1 | 11:41 |
| Nov | 78% | 46% | 4.6 | 11:14 |
| Dec | 77% | 41% | 4.4 | 11:01 |
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 Santo Domingo is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C89 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 29 °C85 °F and lows 21 °C70 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.1 °C5.6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 581 mm23 in. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 33% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (68 mm2.7 in), the driest is February (21 mm0.8 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in March to 79% in October. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 36%) are typical of February. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in September to 9 km/h (6 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 11.0 hours in December to 13.2 hours in June.
Best time to visit Santo Domingo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December–March: average highs of 29 °C85 °F to 30 °C87 °F with 21 mm0.8 in to 42 mm1.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is August, which is hot, with average highs of 32 °C89 °F and humid (77% 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.
Santo Domingo weather by month
- January29 °C85 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- February30 °C86 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- March30 °C87 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- April31 °C88 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- May31 °C88 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- June31 °C88 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- July32 °C89 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- August32 °C89 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- September32 °C89 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- October31 °C88 °F / 25 °C76 °F
- November30 °C87 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- December30 °C85 °F / 22 °C72 °F
What to pack for Santo Domingo
- Wetter months (May, July–November) — highs 3087 to 32 °C89 °F, lows 2374 to 25 °C77 °F, about 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Drier months (December–April, June) — highs 2985 to 31 °C88 °F, lows 2170 to 25 °C77 °F, about 33 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Santo Domingo compares
Of the 9 places in the Dominican Republic covered by World Climates, Santo Domingo is the 3rd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th 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: Road Town (British Virgin Islands, BSh), Saint-Marc (Haiti, BSh) and Cap-Haïtien (Haiti, BSh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Santo Domingo Oeste (pop. 701,269) and Santo Domingo Este (pop. 700,000). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Santo Domingo, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- San Cristóbal 23 km · 27 °C81 °F · 581 mm23 in
- San Pedro de Macorís 62 km · 27 °C81 °F · 605 mm24 in
- La Romana 98 km · 28 °C82 °F · 609 mm24 in
- San Francisco de Macorís 99 km · 26 °C79 °F · 655 mm26 in
- La Vega 107 km · 27 °C81 °F · 560 mm22 in
- Santiago de los Caballeros 137 km · 26 °C78 °F · 627 mm25 in
- Punta Cana 157 km · 27 °C81 °F · 649 mm26 in
- Puerto Plata 169 km · 27 °C80 °F · 724 mm28 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Santo Domingo?
August is the warmest month in Santo Domingo, with an average high of 32 °C (89 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Santo Domingo?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
When does it rain the most in Santo Domingo?
November is the wettest month with about 68 mm (2.7 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 21 mm (0.8 in).
What is the best time to visit Santo Domingo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December–March.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 126 m, while Santo Domingo lies at about 24 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.7 °C1.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.