The Caribbean witnessed a remarkable meteorological anomaly as the 2025-2026 frontal season commenced with historic subzero temperatures in the Dominican Republic’s high-altitude regions. In the early hours of Thursday, December 25, Valle Nuevo National Park recorded an extreme minimum temperature of -7.3°C (18°F), marking the season’s first severe frost event according to meteorological analyst Jean Suriel.
This unusual phenomenon resulted from the direct incursion of a polar air mass that extended across the Caribbean nation, generating icy conditions rarely observed in tropical latitudes. The freezing temperatures persisted for twelve consecutive hours from 9:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m., significantly intensifying cold effects throughout the mountainous terrain.
The exceptional cold spell produced four distinctive winter manifestations typically associated with higher latitudes:
1. Vegetation became encased in frozen dew, creating a thick frost layer that blanketed the landscape in crystalline whiteness
2. Fog droplets solidified on shrubs and bushes, forming intricate ice needle structures through the process known as cencellada
3. Subterranean water emerged from the ground in frozen state, generating the rare natural spectacle of ice hairs
4. Standing water in outdoor containers completely solidified due to the sustained freezing conditions
Suriel emphasized that the Dominican Republic remains unique among Antillean nations in experiencing negative temperatures during both frontal season and tropical winter periods. This meteorological distinction stems from the country’s elevated topography, which features the highest mountain peaks in the Caribbean region, creating necessary conditions for such extreme cold events to occur.