This report describes the typical weather at the Punta Cana International Airport (Punta Cana/Higüey, Dominican Republic) weather station over the course of an average March. It is based on the historical records from 2006 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Punta Cana/Higüey has a tropical savanna climate with dry winters. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by oceans and seas (69%) and forests (31%).
The month of March is characterized by essentially constant daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 83Â°F throughout the month, exceeding 86Â°F or dropping below 81Â°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of March, the length of the day is gradually increasing. The shortest day of the month is March 1 with 11:47 hours of daylight; the longest day is March 31 with 12:20 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 6:28am on March 31; the latest sunset is at 6:47pm on March 31; the latest sunrise is at 6:52am on March 1; the earliest sunset is at 6:39pm on March 1.
Daylight savings time (DST) is not observed in 2012.
The median cloud cover is 46% (partly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.
On March 16, a representative day, the sky is clear or mostly clear 30% of the time, partly cloudy 44% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 15% of the time.
The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 26%, with little variation over the course of the month.
Throughout March, the most common forms of precipitation are light rain, moderate rain, and thunderstorms.
Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 42% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around March 2, when it is observed during 12% of all days.
Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 40% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around March 1, when it is observed during 12% of all days.
Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 12% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around March 31, when it is observed during 5% of all days.
Either snow is exceptionally unlikely to fall at this location in March or this station does not reliably report precipitation types.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 63% (mildly humid) to 92% (very humid) over the course of a typical March, rarely dropping below 54% (mildly humid) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is driest around March 14, at which time the relative humidity drops below 67% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around March 22, rising above 88% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical March, the dew point typically varies from 66Â°F (muggy) to 74Â°F (very muggy) and is rarely below 62Â°F (mildy humid) or above 77Â°F (oppressive).
Over the course of March typical wind speeds vary from 4 mph to 15 mph (light breeze to moderate breeze), rarely exceeding 19 mph (fresh breeze).
The highest average wind speed of 11 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around March 5, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 15 mph (moderate breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 10 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around March 20, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 14 mph (moderate breeze).