Puerto Rico Climate
Top 5 Cities: San Juan, Bayamón, Carolina, Ponce, and Caguas
This month in numbers
Puerto Rico experienced its 10th warmest April on record in 2026, with an average temperature of 24.92°C, which is +0.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The period of February–April 2026 ranked as the 3rd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +0.9°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The past three months (February–April 2026) have been notably warm for Puerto Rico, ranking as the 3rd warmest such period in 86 years of records. This trend aligns with the broader global picture, where global land temperatures for the same three-month period also ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Puerto Rico's April anomaly of +0.61°C placed it 208th out of 234 regions in terms of warmest 1-month anomalies, indicating that while warm, other regions experienced more significant deviations from their average temperatures.
What’s driving change?
The persistent warmth in Puerto Rico is influenced by the long-term trend of land warming faster than ocean. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a strong forecast for an El Niño to develop by May–July 2026, with a 61% probability, increasing to 79% by June–August 2026. El Niño typically brings drier conditions to the Caribbean and Atlantic basin and suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity. In April 2026, Puerto Rico experienced periods of heavy rainfall and a Flood Watch was issued by the National Weather Service in San Juan due to a mid- to upper-level trough of low-pressure approaching the region. This led to concerns about urban and small stream flooding, isolated flash flooding, rapid river rises, and landslides. Despite these rainfall events, there were no areas of Puerto Rico under drought conditions as of April 28, 2026. Additionally, warm and humid conditions with heat indices exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit were forecast for late April, driven by a southerly wind flow. Research published in April 2026 also highlighted how sudden atmospheric shifts can trigger "flash droughts" in Puerto Rico, where conditions can rapidly change from wet to dry in a matter of days.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase, strongly forecast to develop in the coming months, suggests a tendency towards drier conditions and suppressed hurricane activity in the Atlantic basin for Puerto Rico.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Puerto Rico
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Puerto Rico changing?
Puerto Rico is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Puerto Rico come from?
Climate data for Puerto Rico comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Puerto Rico climate data cover?
The Puerto Rico climate profile covers San Juan, Bayamón, Carolina, Ponce and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Puerto Rico
How often is the Puerto Rico climate update refreshed?
The Puerto Rico climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.