Weather
One of the big draws to living in the islands is the beautiful scenery and the undeniable fact that you will never be cold again, unless you want to be. The climate here is considered tropical marine with temperatures averaging 86F (30C) for highs and 76F (24C) for lows. In the coolest months of January and February, when the weather is generally less humid and we experience westerly trade winds. The warmest conditions are usually felt during March through August. Despite the near constant temperatures, a year in Guam can be divided into two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season, or "fanuchanan" in native Chamorro language, occurs during July through November. The rest of the months are considered to be the dry season, otherwise known as "fanumnangan." Overall, Guam averages an annual rainfall of 80-110 inches per year. You'll experience brief downpours lasting for a few moments to a few minutes, followed by immediate clear skies and sunshine. It's all part of living on an island. While some coastal regions in the U.S. experience hurricanes, Guam is sometimes threatened by typhoons. A typhoon is pretty much the same thing as a hurricane, but receives the title typhoon because it originates north of the Equator and west of the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Guam's typhoon season runs year-round, but more commonly, storms seem to develop between May and November. Guam usually sees three tropical storms and one typhoon pass within 180 nautical miles of the island in a given year. Climate change and the greenhouse effect seem to be influencing Guam’s weather as well, as no typhoons have hit Guam since 2002. The biggest storm to strike Guam in recent History.
Super Typhoon Pongsona ravaged the island with 125+mph winds on December 8, 2002, resulting in massive damage to the island’s infrastructure and port. Not to worry. You’ll generally have a day or two notice before a typhoon arrives. Most storms seem to form East of us, and the Island's media does a pretty good job of notifying the public. So you’ll have plenty of time to put up your typhoon shutters and prepare yourselves. Here on the island we’ll be glued to our local news channel #2 to watch the storm’s approach on the big blue map. It is advisable, however, to consider stocking an amount of canned goods and water ahead of time. When word of a typhoon begins to spread, the stores are usually packed with last minute shoppers.
For further information on typhoons and storm preparation, please visit the Guam Office of Civil Defense website at http://www.guamhs.org. The National Weather Service provides a daily forecast for the island of Guam in addition to hydrology, marine and surf information. Check out their website at http://www.prh.noaa.gov/guam/public.php