Though Honduras is a small country, its weather varies dramatically by location, as a consequence of having coasts on two oceans and dramatic topographical variation with altitudes far surpassing any in the eastern US.

As elsewhere in the tropics, temperatures in a given Honduran location are basically constant throughout the year. Thus, it can be hard to grasp the meaning of “seasons” in the U.S. or U.K. sense. Although the names of the seasons primavera (spring), verano (summer), otoño (fall), and invierno (winter) are relevant to such countries as Spain and Argentina, Central Americans speak of only two seasons: the wet season (época/estación/temporada lluviosa) and the dry season (epoca/estación/temporada seca). The wet season is actually often referred to as invierno and the dry season as verano; however, primavera and otoño are not Honduran concepts.

In most of the country, the wet season begins in May or June and ends in November or December. But on the North Coast, only March and April could be termed dry; otherwise, the rains tend to be fairly abundant, peaking in October.

Both the Atlantic and Pacific coastal lowlands are often very hot. On the Atlantic coast (North Coast) the so-called trade winds from the east often relieve the oppressive heat. However, the coast is also reliably humid, enhancing the discomfort associated with its temperatures. The Pacific lowlands have the country’s highest temperatures. The coastal plain, including the city of Choluteca, is significantly less humid than the North Coast, and today often genuinely parched; however, partly because it lacks the breezes of the Caribbean, its heat can feel even more overwhelming.

In the country’s extensive highlands (some 80% of the country’s total land area), temperatures are far more moderate. At elevations above 4,500 feet, the nights may even drop below freezing. In Tegucigalpa, with an altitude around 3,200 feet, the average daily high temperature year-round is about 83 degrees. In lowland San Pedro Sula, by contrast, the average high is about 91 degrees, and typically comes accompanied by serious humidity.

The Caribbean hurricane season (temporada de huracanes) officially extends six months from June 1 to November 30. The most dangerous months are August, September, and October. Though Honduras experiences relatively few hurricanes, there have been disastrous exceptions. (For individual hurricanes, see below.)

Because of global climate change, the climate of Central America is altering in disturbing ways. Most dismaying is the emergence, since 2014, of the so-called Dry Corridor (Corredor seco) running from Costa Rica up to southern Mexico. Though “Corridor” suggests a hallway, the affected area, especially in Honduras, is extremely irregular in shape; it now comprises much of the country’s territory, leaving only the North Coast and the northeast unaffected. [Insert link.]

The decline in rainfall—with lengthy droughts that may be broken by erosive downpours–has had devastating effects on corn and beans, the basic subsistence crops of rural Honduras. A rust infecting coffee shrubs, another evident consequence of climate change and El Niño, has left many rural families without their lone commercial crop as well.