Samoa has a tropical climate, it is sunny, full of greenery
and warm! Since Samoa is so close to the equator, it does not have
a warm and cold season, instead, it has a rainy and a dry season. There
is a small temperature change, but not like many summer and winter climates
in the United States.
The humidity in Samoa is quite high. On average, there
is about 73% humidity in the dry season and 79% humidity in the rainy season.
Because it is so humid, people sweat all day long. Some people change clothes
several times a day!
Cyclones are common on the islands of Samoa. A cyclone
is “an area of low pressure around which the winds flow counterclockwise
in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.”
The winds swirl around and become violent, ruining crops and houses, or whatever
is in its path! A single cyclone can influence the weather over
an area as large as from the state of Minnesota, all the way to the state
of Texas! Usually, the cyclones visit the islands between January and
March.
Samoa also has frequent earthquakes.
Samoa is located near the Ring of Fire, which is a zone
of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Because it is so close
to the Ring of Fire, Samoa has tsunami. Tsunami are large waves in
the ocean caused by underwater earthquakes. Tsunami do not happen often
in Samoa, however, an emergency plan is in place, just in case.
The island of Savai’i has had 2 volcanoes erupt in the
1900’s. Mount Matavanu was active from 1905-1910, and Mount Mu erupted
in 1902. In 1690, Mount Afi erupted for the last time.