The mean annual temperature ranges between 24 and 26° C (75
and 79° F) along the northern section of the coastal plains,
from 22 to 24° C (72 to 75° F) towards more elevated zones
in the south, and from 20 to 22o C (68 to 72° F) in the highest
zones of the province, like the Sierra de Nipe. The fluctuations
of average annual rainfall progressively increase from plain zones
around urban areas to mountainous and wood areas in the center of
the province. Thus, the annual average ranges from 600-800 mm (24-31
in), in littoral and sub-littoral plains, reaching 1800-2000 mm
(71-79 in) in the mountains of Nipe and Cristal. In normal years,
the rainy season starts in the first third of April towards the
lower-mountain areas. This peculiarity takes place in other eastern
orographic groups and in the mountains of Guamuhaya, in central
Cuba. In such cases the duration of the rainy season is about 200-day
longer than in coastal plains and low zones of the rest of the island.
