US Virgin Islands Climate
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US Virgin Islands Climate Background
US Virgin Islands Climate is tropical and hot all year, with a colder phase from December to April, when average highs are around 28/29 °C (82/84 °F), and a hotter and sultry season from May to November, when highs are around 31/32 °C (88/90 °F), but the heat is moderated by the breeze.The United States Virgin Islands are an archipelago east of Puerto Rico in the Lesser Antilles region.
In terms of rainfall, there is a generally dry season from January to April and a rainy season from May to December, with June and July seeing a relative drop in precipitation. February and March are the driest months of the year. Rainfall averages 1,000/1,200 millimeters (40/47 inches) per year, with the northern slopes of each island receiving slightly more.
The relatively dry season runs from December to April on the northernmost islands (Saint John and Saint Thomas, where Charlotte Amalie is located), though there have been heavy rains in December in some years, ranging from 200 to 400 mm (8 to 16 in), while it runs from January to April on the island of Saint Croix, which is located further south.
Precipitation begins to increase in May, with a relative drop in June and July, followed by a recovery from August to November. In general, the wettest months are September through November.Apart from hurricanes, which can bring powerful winds and torrential rains (see below), the weather is usually pleasant or varied, with short showers and thunderstorms being more often and violent during the rainy season.
US Virgin Islands Climate Change The sea in the US Virgin Islands is warm enough to swim in all year: from January to April, the water temperature is around 26 °C (79 °F), and from September to October, it is around 29 °C (84 °F).
US Virgin Islands Climate Change
The weather in the United States Virgin Islands climate is changing. The air and seas are warming, torrential rainstorms are intensifying, sea levels are increasing, and the ocean is becoming more acidic. These environmental changes are likely to increase the threat of severe storms to life and property, reduce the availability of fresh water during the dry season, harm or destroy much of the islands’ coral reef ecosystems, and cause air temperatures to become uncomfortably hot more frequently in the coming decades.Because the globe is warming, our climate is changing.
Since the late 1700s, people have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 40%. Other greenhouse gases that trap heat are also rising. During the previous 50 years, these gases have warmed our planet’s surface and lower atmosphere by around one degree. As the atmosphere heats, evaporation increases, resulting in higher humidity, average rainfall, and the frequency of intense rainstorms—but also contributing to drought.
The world’s waters and ice cover are also changing as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. The oceans are becoming increasingly acidic as carbon dioxide combines with water to generate carbonic acid. Over the previous 80 years, the ocean’s surface has warmed by around one degree globally. Mountain glaciers are retreating as a result of global warming, and even the vast ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are decreasing. As a result, the water level is steadily rising.
Agriculture Impacted
US Virgin Islands Climate Change , Agricultural productivity in the US Virgin Islands is projected to be hampered by rising temperatures. Animals’ health is jeopardized by high temperatures, which force them to eat less and grow more slowly. Reduced water availability during the dry season may put crops under stress, while rising temperatures may diminish crop output.
Climate change may lower plantain and banana crops, according to studies in other tropical countries. If storms become more severe, sugar cane crops in neighboring nations may be affected more frequently, posing a threat to the rum industry’s supply of imported molasses.
Water
US Virgin Islands Climate,Despite the fact that strong rainstorms have become more common, changing weather patterns have resulted in a drop in overall rainfall across the Caribbean. Total rainfall is expected to continue to fall, particularly in the spring and summer. Warmer temperatures diminish accessible water by increasing the rate at which water evaporates (or transpires) from soils, plants, and surface waters into the air.
The US Virgin Islands may face a greater risk of drought as a result of less rain and dryer soils, which might affect water resources, agriculture, and the economy. During the 2015 drought, for example, farmers lost crops and cattle, and some residents were unable to rely on rainwater collection or ground water, and instead had to rely on desalination plant water transported by truck.
Health
US Virgin Islands Climate Change, Hot days can be unhealthy, if not deadly. Children, the elderly, the sick, and the poor are among those who are particularly vulnerable. The frequency of hot days and nights will increase as the temperature rises. Heat stroke and dehydration can occur as a result of high air temperatures, which can also impact people’s cardiovascular and nervous systems. Warm nights are particularly hazardous because they prevent the body from cooling down after a hot day.
Although there are no accurate long-term temperature records for the US Virgin Islands, the frequency of warm evenings in neighboring Puerto Rico has increased by nearly 50% since 1950. The environment in the US Virgin Islands is ideal for mosquito species that transmit diseases like malaria, yellow fever, and dengue fever. While disease transmission is influenced by a number of factors, greater air temperatures are expected to speed up the mosquito life cycle and the pace at which viruses multiply in mosquitos.
Coastal Environment
US Virgin Islands Climate, Warming waters are predicted to destroy most coral reefs in the coming decades, and widespread coral loss is likely due to warming and increased acidity of coastal waters. The algae that live inside corals and supply nourishment for them may be harmed by rising ocean temperatures. Corals become weaker and eventually die as a result of the loss of algae. Because the loss of algae causes corals to turn white, this process is usually referred to as “coral bleaching.” Corals can be harmed by rising acidity.
Ocean acidity has risen by around 25% in the last three centuries, and it is expected to rise by another 40 to 50% by 2100. Corals are less able to collect minerals from the water to form their skeletons when the ocean grows more acidic. Acidity interferes with the capacity of shellfish and other species to create protective skeletons and shells, therefore they rely on these minerals as well.
US Virgin Islands Climate Change and Disaster Risks
During the last 20 years, tropical storms and hurricanes have become more powerful. Although rising oceans supply greater potential energy to these storms, scientists are unsure whether the recent intensification is indicative of a longer-term trend. Nonetheless, as the climate warms, hurricane wind speeds and rainfall rates are anticipated to increase. During storms, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ towns, roads, and ports are vulnerable to both wind and water. Wind damage insurance can be more expensive or difficult to get as wind speeds and damages increase.
Storm surges will become higher as sea level rises, causing coastal houses and infrastructure to flood more frequently. As a result of the rising sea level, flood insurance premiums for residents living along the shore are anticipated to rise. Inland flooding is also projected to grow as the climate changes. Since 1958, rainfall during major hurricanes has grown by 33% in adjacent Puerto Rico, and comparable increases have been observed around the Caribbean.
The current trend of increasingly severe rainstorms is expected to continue.Flooding can be worsened by more heavy rainstorms, as dry bellies resemble rivers more frequently and more water collects in low-lying areas that drain slowly. In Frederiksted, for example, rapid flooding wiped off sections of the road in 2010.
Coastal Disaster
Since 1901, the waters surrounding the US Virgin Islands have warmed by approximately two degrees, and sea level has risen by about an inch per ten years. Sea level is expected to increase one to three feet in the next century as the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm. Coastal flooding is exacerbated by rising sea levels, which bury marshes, mangroves, and dry land, degrade coastlines, and intensify coastal flooding.
The waterfront blocks of Charlotte Amalie are often within three or four feet of sea level, despite the fact that the majority of the property is much above sea level.
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Best visit for US Virgin Islands Climate
The best time to visit the US Virgin Islands is from December to April, as it is the least hot time of year and outside of hurricane season; the driest months are January, February, and March. December can still be a wet month, especially on Saint Croix’s southern island. There is a slight increase in temperature in April, as well as in the intensity of thunderstorms in some years, but it is still a tolerable month, and in many circumstances, a good month.
US Virgin Islands Climate ,June and July are often less wet in the summer than August and September, and they also have a lesser danger of tropical storms and hurricanes, which, as previously stated, are most likely between August and October, when the sea is warmer and has more energy to supply.
reference – coastalrecilience.org,epa.gov
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