The climate of Santo Domingo is that of the torrid zone and is characterized by heat and humidity. Yet the heat rarely becomes as intense as it sometimes does in the United States in summer and the nights are always cool and pleasant. The mean annual temperature of Santo Domingo City is between 77 deg. and 78 deg. Fahrenheit, and the variation between the mean temperature of the hottest and coolest month is hardly more than 6 deg. The highest temperature recorded in Santo Domingo City in a period of seven years was 95 deg. The average highest temperature in July and August is between 91 deg. and 92 deg. In the mountainous regions of the interior there is a noticeable difference in temperature; it is necessary to sleep under a blanket every night of the year and the temperature sometimes falls below the freezing point. The pleasantest months of the year are from December to February. The heat of the climate is tempered and rendered bearable by cooling breezes which are seldom absent. During the day the prevailing breeze is from the east, but shortly after sunset a breeze sets in from the interior, blowing out to the ocean, and continues until after sunrise. The heavy rains also tend to cool the atmosphere. The island is so cut up by mountain ranges running in different directions that there is no regular rainy season for the whole country. In the south, the west and the interior, the rainy season is generally reckoned as lasting from April to November, while in the eastern section the rainy season is from May to December. These seasons are not absolute, for at times there are heavy rains during what should be the dry season, while occasionally there are many days of drouth during the wet months. The rains are rarely long-continued drizzles, but instead for several hours the floodgates of heaven are opened wide, after which the sky clears and remains serene until the following day. The amount of rainfall varies in different parts of the country, being lightest in the arid districts of Monte Cristi, Azua and Barahona. The United States Weather Bureau maintained a station at Santo Domingo City for a number of years and from the observations made the following data are compiled: OBSERVATIONS FOR SANTO DOMINGO CITY Highest Lowest Mean Average Mean temperature temperature relative Average number temperature recorded recorded humidity rainfall of days deg.F deg.F deg.F per cl. inches with rain