Climate of Central America. 153 
dampest and coldest wind, and the one which increases the barometric pres- 
sure. The mean annual wind velocity is 0.8 meters per second, and on stu- 
dying the monthly means it is observed that in the majority of the months 
it is about one meter. The greatest velocity registered in sixteen years 21 
meters per second, in a wind blowing from the northeast. Generally in the 
spring there are wind squalls every afternoon, but the greatest velocities are 
observed in the summer just before the storms. As a rule, every night, 
although for a few hours only, there occur gusts of north winds, which 
usually simply cool the air, but sometimes they cause disagreeable and even 
unhealthy weather. 
4. Central America. 
In order to present a synopsis of the climate of Central America that of 
the three republics of Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica is given. 
a. Guatemala. 
The people of Guatemala distinguish three zones, called as in Mexico 
tierra caliente, tierra templada and tierra fria and two Seasons, the moist, or 
humid (invierno) and a dry one (verano), or summer. The tierra caliente 
comprises the coast lands of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The tierra 
templada, or temperate zone is found on the highlands or "mesetas cen- 
trales” from 2000 to 5000 feet above the sea level. The tierra fria, or 
cold zone, is situated above the elevation of 5000 feet, especially in the 
departments of Sololä, Totonicapam, Quiche; Huehuetenango, Quezaltenango 
and San Marcos regions known as Los Altos. The rainy season begins in 
May and lasts until October in the interior, and until December along the coasts. 
| the coolest December and January. 
la lies entirely in the Torrid Zone. 
far from each other, the climate would 
er varied mountains, especially the 
oing more into details, Guatema 
Stretched out between two oceans not 
be uniformly hot and moist, but for h ya Ber 
Cordilleras de las Andes which oppose themselves to the prevailing pr “ 
Causing notable differences, not only in temperature, but also a a 
humidity of the air, clouds and other meteorologic phenomena. !° = 
dominant winds are from the east and north. Only along the Pacific vr 
and on the southern slopes of the southern Cordilleras are southern x 
southwestern winds frequent at certain times of the year. As the “; ee 
ee a tl : 
those times (April, May and August) than in the intermediary er a 
December and January). The daily course of temperature 15 Rn EEE = 
although clouds and winds cause er . in ee 
L SappER gives the following table of averag : 
The EEE ae high all over the country, in ai 
dry regions situated between humid or mojist mountains, 43 at Salama 
