I originally posted this to www.scubaboard.com in response to an inquiry about Roatan weather.
It turned out so well, that I decided to post it here too.
Roatan Weather_General Guidelines
Hello,
I have lived here since 1970 and worked in the dive industry the entire time.
Your confusion about our climate is not unusual and arises IMHO because the tourist industry here, for the most part, is in denial about both the rainy season and the potential for hurricanes and earthquakes.
First off the rainy season. The science is simple. When it starts to snow in the Western USA and Canada; it begins to rain here and continues to rain until the snow stops. Hence, the rainy season for the North Coast of Honduras and Bay Islands generally starts sometime in October and ends in late March or early April.
Three things are important to note:
1. 50% to 55% of the annual rainfall occurs between the middle of October and the middle of January; with November being the rainiest month of the year.
2. The duration and intensity of the rain depends directly on the strength of the cold fronts and the time intervals separating them.
3. If North America, especially the Western portion, has an early hard, cold winter, then we have an early, long, cold rainy season. (air temps can drop to low 60sF; water temps as low as 76F or 77F) and the converse holds true too. A late, warm winter up North equals a late, warm, sub-normal rainy season here.
On to Hurricanes:
We experience about one major hurricane here, approximately every 20 years. The majority of hurricanes, I have experienced while living on Roatan, have struck between September 6th and September 22nd.
These dates coincide with the peak of the hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere.
From 1969 to 1978, we had a full blown hurricane every 2 to 3 years, with several near misses in between.
The strongest and most damaging hurricanes hit here and Belize in October and November; ie Hurricane Mitch, late Oct 1998. It was a Category 5 storm.
About Earthquakes:
There is a transform plate boundary which begins out in the Pacific Ocean, crosses Central America, emerges in the Western Caribbean Sea, then passes to the north of the Bay Islands and south of the Caymans, finally cutting across Haiti, ending out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Interestingly, the 7.3 quake which occurred here on May 28, 2009 and the Haitian 7.3 quake were both center on this transform plate boundary line.
From the historical earthquake databases and personal anecdotal experience, we have about 2.5 earthquakes annually. A majority of those in the 2 to 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale.
I hope this information helps you to better understand weather pattern in the Bay Islands of Honduras.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you any more questions.
Sincerely,
Doc Radawski
CoCoView DiveOps
diveops@cocoviewresort.com
Welcome to CoCo View Resort located in Roatan, Honduras a beautiful resort with diving and snorkeling activities.
I have lived here since 1970 and worked in the dive industry the entire time.
Your confusion about our climate is not unusual and arises IMHO because the tourist industry here, for the most part, is in denial about both the rainy season and the potential for hurricanes and earthquakes.
First off the rainy season. The science is simple. When it starts to snow in the Western USA and Canada; it begins to rain here and continues to rain until the snow stops. Hence, the rainy season for the North Coast of Honduras and Bay Islands generally starts sometime in October and ends in late March or early April.
Three things are important to note:
1. 50% to 55% of the annual rainfall occurs between the middle of October and the middle of January; with November being the rainiest month of the year.
2. The duration and intensity of the rain depends directly on the strength of the cold fronts and the time intervals separating them.
3. If North America, especially the Western portion, has an early hard, cold winter, then we have an early, long, cold rainy season. (air temps can drop to low 60sF; water temps as low as 76F or 77F) and the converse holds true too. A late, warm winter up North equals a late, warm, sub-normal rainy season here.
On to Hurricanes:
We experience about one major hurricane here, approximately every 20 years. The majority of hurricanes, I have experienced while living on Roatan, have struck between September 6th and September 22nd.
These dates coincide with the peak of the hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere.
From 1969 to 1978, we had a full blown hurricane every 2 to 3 years, with several near misses in between.
The strongest and most damaging hurricanes hit here and Belize in October and November; ie Hurricane Mitch, late Oct 1998. It was a Category 5 storm.
About Earthquakes:
There is a transform plate boundary which begins out in the Pacific Ocean, crosses Central America, emerges in the Western Caribbean Sea, then passes to the north of the Bay Islands and south of the Caymans, finally cutting across Haiti, ending out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Interestingly, the 7.3 quake which occurred here on May 28, 2009 and the Haitian 7.3 quake were both center on this transform plate boundary line.
From the historical earthquake databases and personal anecdotal experience, we have about 2.5 earthquakes annually. A majority of those in the 2 to 5 magnitude on the Richter Scale.
I hope this information helps you to better understand weather pattern in the Bay Islands of Honduras.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you any more questions.
Sincerely,
Doc Radawski
CoCoView DiveOps
diveops@cocoviewresort.com
Welcome to CoCo View Resort located in Roatan, Honduras a beautiful resort with diving and snorkeling activities.
