A sustained period of high temperatures is set to continue across the entire Dominican Republic, driven by the combined effect of an anticyclonic weather system and an incursion of dust carried from the Sahara Desert, the country’s national meteorological agency has confirmed.
The Dominican Institute of Meteorology (Indomet) explains that these two atmospheric conditions suppress the formation of cloud cover, creating widespread stable atmospheric conditions that trap heat across nearly all regions of the nation. While the dominant weather pattern will be continued heat, the agency has outlined localized precipitation events expected through the daily cycle, driven by different regional atmospheric factors.
In the early pre-dawn and morning hours, brief passing showers are forecast to hit the eastern and northeastern provinces of La Altagracia, La Romana, Samaná and El Seibo, as well as their neighboring communities. These showers are triggered by wind patterns moving across the region, and will clear quickly as the day warms.
From mid-afternoon through early evening, the agency expects partial cloud build-up, paired with scattered to moderate rain showers and isolated thunderstorm activity. These events will be concentrated in the central and inland provinces of Monte Plata, La Vega, Monseñor Nouel, San José de Ocoa, Santiago, Santiago Rodríguez, and Elías Piña. Daytime solar heating of the surface, combined with the influence of local mountain terrain, creates the perfect conditions for these convective rain events to form.
As night falls, the frequency of short, light rainfall events will shift to communities located along the country’s Caribbean coastline, according to Indomet’s forecast.
Temperatures across the country are projected to stay well above comfortable levels, with overnight lows ranging from 23 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius, and daytime highs reaching between 33 and 35 degrees Celsius. In response to the sustained hot conditions, Indomet has issued a series of public health recommendations to help residents avoid heat-related illness.
The agency urges all residents to drink sufficient water throughout the day, dress in loose, light-colored lightweight clothing that reflects heat, seek out cool, shaded spaces when possible, and avoid extended time outdoors in direct sunlight between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. when solar radiation is at its strongest. Indomet also emphasized that children, older adults, and pregnant people face the highest risk of heat-related complications, and should take extra precautions during this period of sustained heat.