How do northeast trade winds influence Jamaica’s climate?

The northeast trade winds are a dominant influence on Jamaica’s tropical climate throughout the year. These winds carry warm, moist air across the island, and their interaction with Jamaica’s topography creates significant regional variations in precipitation.12

When the mountains interrupt the flow of these moisture-laden winds, they force the air to rise, resulting in heavy rainfall on the windward side of the island, particularly in the eastern parish of Portland, which receives more than 130 inches (3,300 mm) of rain annually. Conversely, the southern and southwestern regions of the island, which are sheltered from these winds by the mountains, experience much drier conditions.12