The Torrid Zone

The torrid zone is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This zone is also called the tropics and it is the hottest climatic zone. Temperatures are high all year round. People usually wear light clothing to help them stay cool.

 

The Caribbean region is located in the torrid zone. Some other places located in this zone are:

• Countries in Central America such as Belize, Nicaragua and Panama.
• Many African countries including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya
• The southern part of India
• Sri Lanka (near India)

Click here and see if you can find these places on a map of the world!

 

The Caribbean Climate

Since the Caribbean region is in the torrid zone, temperatures are high all year round. It is a little cooler from about December to March and a little warmer from about May to September. However it is never cold in this part of the world.

Most parts of the Caribbean have a dry season and a wet season. The dry season starts in December and lasts until the end of May. It rains during the dry season but not as much as during the wet season. The wet season starts in June and last until the end of November. It rains a lot during the wet season. This sometimes causes floods and landslides.

The wet season is also called the hurricane season because this is the time of the year when tropical storms and hurricanes usually form in the Atlantic Ocean and move towards the Caribbean. Tropical storms and hurricanes are powerful rotating storms with strong winds and heavy rainfall.