CUBA 211 



such as are observable in adjacent islands. The Sierra Maestra 

 probably presents conditions of temperature very nearly the 

 same as the Blue mountains of Jamaica, where the thermometer 

 at times falls almost to the freezing point. 



Everywhere tbe rains are most abundant in summer, from 

 May to October — the rainy season. As a rule, tbe rains, brought 

 by the trade winds, are heavier and more frequent on the slopes 

 of the eastern end. At Habana the annual rainfall is 40 inches, 

 of which 28 inches fall in the wet season. This rainfall is not ex- 

 cessive, being no greater than that of our eastern states. The 

 air at this place is usually charged with 85 per cent of moisture, 

 which under the tropical sun largely induces the rich mantle of 

 vegetation. The average number of rainy days in the year is 

 102. There is but one record of snow having fallen in Cuba, 

 namely, in 1856. 



At Habana, in July and August, the warmest months, the 

 mean temperature is 82° Fab.., fluctuating between a maximum 

 of 88° and a minimum of 76° ; in the cooler months of Decem- 

 ber and January the thermometer averages 72°, the maximum 

 being 78°, the minimum 58° ; the mean temperature of the }'ear 

 at Habana, on a mean of seven years, is 77° ; but in the inte- 

 rior, at elevations of over 300 feet above the sea, the thermom- 

 eter occasionally falls to the freezing point in winter, hoar frost 

 is not- uncommon, and during north winds thin ice may form. 

 The prevailing wind is the easterly trade breeze, but from No- 

 vember to February cool north winds (los nortes, or " north- 

 ers '') — the southern attenuation of our own cold waves — rarely 

 lasting more than forty-eight hours, are experienced in the west- 

 ern portion of the island, to which they add a third seasonal 

 change. From 10 to 12 o'clock are the hottest hours of the day ; 

 after noon a refreshing breeze (la virazon) sets in from the sea. 

 In Santiago de Cuba the average is 80° ; that of the hottest 

 month is 84° and that of the coldest 73°. 



The whole island is more or less subject to hurricanes, often 

 of great ferocity. The hurricane of 1846 leveled nearly 2,000 

 houses in Habana and sank or wrecked over 300 vessels. In 

 1896 the banana plantations of the east were similarly destroyed. 

 Earthquakes are seldom felt in the western districts, but are 

 frequent in the eastern. 



All in all, the climate of Cuba is much more salubrious than 

 it has been painted. The winter months are delightful — in fact, 

 ideal — while the summer months are more endurable than in 



