We start the day with a few popcorn clouds, especially to the east of Guanaja. We can’t rule out someone seeing a small shower. On our weather network, it looks like the station between West Bay and West End got .01 of an inch around 2 a.m. If anyone sees rain, it will be very brief and hardly get the ground wet. Today and tomorrow we get our strong east winds back, with daytime winds 15-20 mph and nighttime winds 20-25. Tuesday is a little calmer and Wednesday and Thursday will be much calmer. Thursday and Friday we will have a small chance for an isolated shower.
Don’t forget the special Galaxy Wave schedule that runs through tomorrow.
High tides continue to be quite low. Have a great Sunday!
Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Lise Desgroseilliers right here on Jonesville Point. It is a large driftwood that I’ve been staring at for several months and has now taken on the look of a dragon. Today is the last day to give a like to a photo for March. The five most-liked photos compete tomorrow for $50 in Roatan Pets food.
Our big story today is the cooler temperatures. Jonesville and French Cay got down to 67 degrees (19.4C) this morning with comfortable dewpoints in the mid 60s. We will have a mostly sunny day with highs only around 83 (28.3C). Winds will be from the east 5-10 mph and seas 2-3 feet on the northside. We’re starting quite calm on the south side, but we should get 2 foot seas by day’s end. Tomorrow and Monday we will see stronger east winds 15-20 mph daytime and 20-25 mph nighttime with seas 3-4 feet on the southside. There will be a small chance for a shower tomorrow morning. By Monday we will be back to warmer temperatures with highs around 86 (30C). Winds will turn to the northeast Wednesday and the northwest on Thursday and the GFS is wanting to give us a small chance of rain Thursday as a weak cold front makes its way in.
I’m happy to announce that Blue Bahia Beach Grill will be the sponsor of the April photo contest. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant on my favorite beach in Roatan.
High and low tides will be quite mild. Have a great holiday weekend!
Good morning Bay Islands. We have a gorgeous work of creation as our photo of the day today. Did you know hummingbirds can beat their wings up to 5400 times per minute and can’t walk? If you like this photo Dion Bramblett of Sandy Bay may have a chance at $50 in Roatan Pets food.
While we were getting virtually no rain yesterday, this was the scene in La Ceiba. This has been a very odd cold front. Basically it rained all around us but not over us. Someone should have had a beach wedding yesterday. That always seems to make it rain 🙁
Even if we didn’t get much rain, the rain on the coast should help with the smoke, at least for the next week or so, giving us clearer skies. Temperatures will be mild this weekend. We will be dry, though someone might get a small shower on Pascua Sunday morning.
We start out with north winds 15-20 mph and seas 5 feet on the north side. The winds aren’t quite as bad as we feared, and the seas get better the further south you go, so those of you riding the Galaxy Wave will have a little chop, especially if you are coming back to Roatan, but not too bad overall. Winds will stay from the north around 15 mph and seas around 4 feet today. Winds turn to the east tomorrow around 10 mph and seas at 2 feet.
The cold front has brought incredibly cool temperatures in the 50s and 60s for the Yucatan Peninsula. We won’t get this cool, but we should have lows the next couple of mornings in the mid 70s and highs right around 83, so a lot better than the 90s we had the past week.
After two days of cooler temperatures, next week looks warm again, with highs around 88 and lows around 80. The GFS wants to bring a cold front in Friday or Saturday with a small chance of rain, but also some cooler weather for next weekend. This is a loop showing how above or below average our temperatures will be in the atmosphere overhead.
Even the high tides are pretty low right now. Have a pleasant and safe holiday weekend and watch out for the folks who shouldn’t be driving!
Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Cathy Strine at Camp Bay Beach, where LOTS of folks are going to be this weekend. We have a storm over La Ceiba at 7:15 a.m. and the hope of rain today. The front is passing over us now.
In the satellite you can see the front extending north to south. On the west side of the front we have gusty west/northwest winds around 20 mph. Those will continue most of the day today. Scattered showers will be around all day into tonight. Tomorrow we will have north winds at 20-25 mph giving us 5 foot seas on the north side. Any rain tomorrow morning will be light.In the satellite you can see the front extending north to south. On the west side of the front we have gusty west/northwest winds around 20 mph. Those will continue most of the day today. Scattered showers will be around all day into tonight. Tomorrow we will have north winds at 20-25 mph giving us 5 foot seas on the north side. Any rain tomorrow morning will be light.
In the infrared satellite you can see that most of the rain is focused on the mainland, but there are clouds extending to Utila and west side of the big island
At 7:15 we have a few stations reporting rain in West End and near Mud Hole. If you see rain, let us know.
This is a big day for trips to and from the mainland, with four round trips on the Galaxy Wave!
Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Marcey McNab in Oak Ridge and perfectly captures the smoky haze we’ve been dealing with. Fortunately we have a cold front coming tomorrow just in time!
This is a map showing the levels of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. CO is produced by burning and we have a lot of it in our air. This can mean breathing issues for sensitive folks, so one more day of caution outside before our front comes to clear our air.
Today will be hazy and hot. Yesterday we got to 90 at the airport and many of us got a little higher than that on our thermometers. I hit 92 here in Jonesville Point and Sandy Bay hit 93. These are unheard of temps for March around here. Fortunately we will have relief with clouds and rain tomorrow, followed by the north wind Friday. Rain will be off-and-on with perhaps some thunder. Rain will start around 6 a.m. and scattered showers will be around through the night. Rain should come to an end Friday morning. We should get 1-2 inches across our islands. Most of Good Friday and Saturday will be sunny and dry. There will be a small chance of a morning shower Sunday morning.
We will have west winds 10-15 mph this morning, but those should calm this afternoon. Tomorrow we will have west/northwest winds 15-20 mph and gusty in squalls. Friday we will have north winds 17-22 mph and seas 5 feet on the north side, calming slightly in the afternoon. Saturday winds will be much lighter from the east, 5-10 mph. Sunday we get a return to strong easterly trade winds.
Just a reminder that there is a special midweek ferry to Guanaja this morning and an extra roundtrip to the mainland on the Galaxy Wave!
Good morning Bay Islands. Michelle Widd had a great idea. Let’s put together flora, fauna and a beautiful sunset. Here’s her shot from Palmetto Bay with Man o War Cay in the background. Like her photo for a chance at $50 in Roatan Pets food in the contest on Pascua Sunday. Winds will continue to be confusing this week, and rain is moving more toward Thursday and less toward Friday in the forecast. Just a heads up that I will be posting a video later today about our incoming cold front.
Let’s start with today and tomorrow: As you can see in the 7 a.m. wind map, we start the day with calmer winds west Roatan and Utila, but with 10-15 mph east winds east Roatan and Guanaja. This should more or less continue through the morning, At midday our winds turn to the northeast at 15 mph. Overnight into tomorrow morning our winds turn to the west at 15 mph, so there will be 3 foot waves, even for normally calm West Bay. Winds get calmer tomorrow afternoon with no rain either day.
We will have a cloudy day on Thursday and most of the models say rain chances will increase through the day with scattered showers, with the best chance of heavy rain Thursday night. Friday morning there will be some lingering showers but things should clear up a bit. It should be pretty wavy for the folks with a day off to go to Camp Bay beach on the northside, with 20 mph north winds that day. Saturday looks pretty dry but Pascua Sunday morning will have a small chance of a morning shower.
Regardless of the rain amounts, we should get a cooldown. We’ve been very hot as you can see in this temperature anomaly map, which shows how much above or below normal the heat over our heads is. Yesterday the airport got to 88 degrees (31C) and many of us got to 90 (32C). I don’t have to tell you that with a dewpoint at 80 (27C) that made it pretty hot. Thursday will be cooler because we will have a cloudy day, but Friday and Saturday will be quite comfortable even in the sun, with highs probably around 82 (28C) and lows perhaps around 72 (22C). Even after we get back to warmer weather on Pascua Sunday, it will be more normal for this time of year, 84-85 (29C).
The ICON is the most optimistic, giving us 2 inches of rain through Good Friday morning.
Here is the GFS which puts us right around an inch.
Here is the Euro model for rainfall through Good Friday morning, which gives us less rain, probably half an inch, with Puerto Cortes having all the fun.
A big shoutout to Roatan Pets for sponsoring this month’s contest. Please remember that 10 percent of proceeds goes to the needy pets supported by Roatan Operation Animal Rescue, a worthy cause if ever there was one.
Our photo of the day comes from Anja Weyers in Sandy Bay and shows just some of our beautiful island flora, called frangipani or plumeria. I have gotten some feedback to see more flora and fauna in photos of the day and fewer sunrises and sunsets. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts.
Today is the easy day to forecast. We start with 25 mph east winds and seas 4 feet on the south side. That should ease a bit to 15 mph midday but get back to 20-25 mph east winds by evening. We will have clear skies and no rain today.
Tuesday through Thursday the wind situation will be hard to predict, because we have winds from different directions moving in and out. Tuesday looks like the calmest day with winds around 10 mph, but from various directions depending where you are on our islands. Wednesday looks like a day of 15 mph west winds. Thursday winds are calmer around 7-12 mph but also start to turn to the north.
Models are still looking good for us to get rain from Thursday evening through the day on Friday. They disagree somewhat on whether we get more rain late Thursday or early Friday, but that is the time period to look for rain. Also, Friday looks to be a day of brisk north winds and waves on the north side, though the EURO wants to put the biggest waves into Friday evening, whereas the GFS says the morning will be windy.
With a complex wind pattern, you need to choose Jolly Roger Roatan for your excursion. They know how to get you to a calm cove to make the most of you time on the island!
Low tides are 2:30 p.m. and 3 a.m. under a full moon. Have a great week!
Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Phil Sikora in Caribe Bight and reminds us that the moon becomes full tonight. Those of you who know me know this is a very special night for me. I also know it kicks off a very special week for many of you. So let’s get to the forecast.
On our satellite at 6:50 a.m. we see a storm that has had some thunder in it just to the southwest of Utila. I imagine some folks, especially on the west side of the island, might have seen a little rain out of this, though most of the rain seems to be falling just to the west of La Ceiba. We have a few clouds toward Guanaja, but overall this morning looks dry for most of us unfortunately. Winds start out from the northeast 5-10 mph and seas 1-2 feet but should increase to 10-15 mph by midday and by afternoon turn to the east, giving us 2-3 foot waves coming from the northeast. Tonight we will have east winds around 20 mph.
The wind forecast for Semana Santa is already looking a bit complicated. Monday: Moderate east winds 15 mph day, 25 mph night, seas 2-3 feet southside. Tuesday: Probably the calmest day of the week with east/northeast winds 5-10 mph and seas 2 feet. Wednesday: West/southwest winds 10-15 mph and seas 2-3 feet esp. north and west sides. Thursday: Starts off quite calm in the morning but gets windy from the west in the afternoon. Friday: Windiest day of the week with north winds around 20 mph and seas around 5 feet north side. Thursday evening into Friday morning looks like the best chance at rain right now, though it seems many of these late season storm disappoint us when it comes to rain, so I’m not guaranteeing that we’ll get a lot. Until Thursday we will stay hot and dry, but when the north wind gets here we should cool off for Friday and Saturday.
Semana Santa will be a big week at Ikigai by Robby Molina. Aside from Monday when they are closed, every day has something amazing to choose from, starting with Lobster Special today. I had it last Sunday and it was outstanding!
Low tides are 2:10 p.m and 2:30 a.m. As you can see, we enter full moon phase tonight, which means that at Kingdom Halls around the world, we will be observing the Memorial of Jesus’ Death. If anyone out there wants more information about attending any of the nine observances across our islands, please message me or text me at 9475-4406. Otherwise I will be offline until tomorrow morning. Have a great Sunday!
Our photo of the day comes from Julie Elpus at the far western tip of West Bay at dusk. If you’re at West Bay Beach this morning you’re seeing an unusual sight — waves caused by a west wind. We have a chance of rain tomorrow morning and a better chance of rain for Good Friday, along with some cooler temperatures.
Let’s start with what we’re seeing this morning. There are a few popcorn clouds out there and radar is showing a shower north of Guanaja that doesn’t seem to be moving much. We will keep a small chance of rain today under partly cloudy skies.
As you can see from this screenshot of a webcam, waves are hitting West Bay Beach because of 15 mph west winds this morning. We will have those winds through midday, but they will start to die down and the overnight will be quite calm. Tomorrow we will have north/northeast winds 10-15 mph and seas 3 feet on the north side, along with a 30 percent chance of a morning shower. Skies should be clear and light winds turning back to the east for the Memorial of Christ’s Death tomorrow night. Monday looks like a day with strong east winds, but Tuesday winds look milder and Wednesday winds turn back to the west in advance of the cold front coming at the end of the week.
Rainfall projections give us 1-2 inches by the end of the week. The cold front is still almost a week away, so this can change, but some rain Thursday night into Friday is looking quite likely.
I know the idea of getting rain this Friday is disappointing to a lot of folks, but on the bright side it will mean cooler temperatures, especially for Friday and Saturday. We’ve been quite a bit above average with highs 88-90 degrees (31-32C). When we get the cold front on Friday we should get knocked down to lows in the low 70s (22-23C) and highs around 81 (27C), which will feel very refreshing.
Just a quick reminder of the special ferry schedule for Semana Santa. Lots of opportunities to visit friends and relatives over the holiday week.
Low tides are 1:50 p.m. and 2 a.m. Have a great weekend!
ood morning Bay Islands. Melanie Wood sends us this morning’s Photo of the Day, taken at sunset from inside the Galaxy Wave as it goes through Port Royal on its way to Guanaja. Fortunately Melanie was comfortably protected from the seaspray by the Galaxy Wave’s comfortable interior space. We’ve had a windy morning, but the weekend and week ahead hold a couple of chance of rain.
Our satellite is quite clear this morning. Unlike yesterday, when we had a few clouds around and a few folks got a shower. We got a report of a downpour in Coxen Hole, though unfortunately we don’t have a rain gauge in Coxen Hole. Most other locations got only a trace to a hundredth of an inch. So hardly enough to wet the ground.
Our morning southeast winds of 20-25 mph and 4 foot southside seas, will calm by midday to 10-15 mph northeast winds and seas 2-3 feet. Winds will stay right around there overnight, we we will be calmer tonight than we were last night.
Saturday we will have a west winds in the morning right around 15 mph that will give us 2-3 foot seas on the north side. Saturday night winds will be light and variable, and Sunday we will have northeast winds 10-15 mph. Sunday morning we will have a 30 percent chance of a morning shower, the first of two chances for rain in our forecast. We will be dry Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we will have another west wind followed by a decent chance of rain Thursday into Friday morning. I know lots of folks are hoping for dry conditions for the beach Friday, and whatever rain we get won’t be enough to ruin the day, just a shower or two here or there.
My wife, Miss Susan, couldn’t stop raving about the tender ribeye served up at Ikigai by Robby Molina. It can be a challenge to find a good steak on the island, and Ikigai doesn’t disappoint. And at $26 it is a bargain, compared to many other restaurants on the island that charge $35-$45 for a comparable cut.
Low tides are 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Have a great Friday!
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