Feb. 21, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Paula Szafranski in Diamond Rock. We start out the morning with cool air, cloudy skies and a few sprinkles. Those sprinkles will dry up pretty quickly and we will have a beautiful afternoon.

Most of us got down to 69 degrees this morning (20.6C) with Utila getting down to 67 (19.4C), just one degree from our all-time record low on the big island. Things will slowly start to get a bit warmer, but we will still be below average in temperature through the weekend, with lows around 72 and highs around 81.

Here is our rainfall since midnight, enough to get the ground wet.

On our satellite we can see our clouds, drifting slowly to the south. As the morning goes on we will see more sun and we will be partly cloudy to mostly sunny this afternoon with dry conditions.

If you’re heading over to La Ceiba this morning there is a better chance of steady light rain this morning as those cool winds hit the mountains. Speaking of La Ceiba, I would like to welcome the first weather station to the area just south of La Ceiba between Nombre de Dios Park and Pico Bonito. I’ve long hoped we’d get a station on the coast.

Wind and wave forecast: Today our seas start out at 5 feet on the north side and northeast winds around 20 mph. Those should calm to 4 feet on the north side and 15 mph this evening. Tomorrow winds turn to the east 7-12 mph and seas from the northeast 2-3 feet. Friday winds will be from the east 5-10 mph and seas 2-3 feet. This weekend looks very calm with a slight north breeze.

Rain forecast: After we get these clouds out of here this morning, we will be dry and mostly sunny. This weekend there are a few clouds with a VERY WEAK cold front passing to our north and east that may give us a shower here or there, especially Sunday.

When we went to Ikigai by Robby Molina this weekend, my friend Elizabeth Leiva had the Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice and it was nice and crispy like fried rice should be. Her husband Richies had the Shrimp Fettucine and absolutely killed it. I had the Creamy Chicken Pad Thai and it was delish. Come on out and have the best Asian Fusion experience on the island.

Low tides are 1:40 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. Have a great Wednesday!

February 20, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Lucie Pineault who lives in Quebec City in Canada, but who was in Roatan this December past and took this photo in West Bay. Remember that the five photos with the most likes will compete on Feb. 29 for $50 in food from Las La Sirena de Camp Bay, Restaurant & Bar. Get ready for some beautiful weather.

Why does it feel so cool? Our low temperatures this morning were in the low 70s (around 23C). Not the coolest we’ve had, but what really made it feel cool is how dry the air is. We had dewpoints as low as 61 (16C) this morning. The dewpoint is the temperature at which the humidity would be 100 percent. It is a measure of how much moisture is in the air. Our dewpoint RARELY drops much below 70. That’s why it usually feel sticky and humid here. But dewpoints in the low 60s feel dry in a way we usually only feel when we’re back in North America. We will have these drier conditions much of this week.

We will be dry and sunny for most of the rest of February. There will be a small chance of showers overnight tonight, but other than that we should be dry. Winds today and tomorrow will be from the north around 10 mph and seas on the north side will be around 2-3 feet and calmer than that on the south side. Thursday winds turn back to the east, but Friday into the weekend we will have quite calm winds and seas. All in all, this will be an awesome weather week.

I wanted to mention that our weather photo prize for March will be $50 in pet food from Roatan Pets. Thanks so much to Mitch Cummins for his generosity. Of course, he already gives 10 percent of his proceeds to Roatan Operation Animal Rescue. Check out his food. Your dog will thank you.

Low tides are 1:15 p.m. and 1:15 a.m. Have a great Tuesday!

February 19, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Kathy Deegan showing the sunset from Coco View. We have a windy morning with north/northwest winds 20 mph and seas 5-6 feet on the north side, but things start to get better today. I want to mention that calendars are now sold out at Hangover Hut in West Bay and there’s only one left at La Sirena de Camp Bay, If you want one, please text or message me and you can have it for the printing cost of 200 lemps.

Here is the rainfall so far today. Rain from yesterday evening would only add about a tenth of an inch to these totals for most of us. It was definitely a light rain.

And as we can see in the satellite, it is almost over. We are getting close to the back side of the clouds from the norther. This will mean mostly sunny skies for most of today, and dry conditions. There will be a small chance of rain tomorrow morning, but other than that, we are looking dry the rest of the week.

Winds today will be from the north/northwest 15-20 mph and seas starting out 5-6 feet on the north side will calm to 4-5 feet. We look much calmer on the south side this morning. Tomorrow winds will be from the north around 15 mph and seas 3-4 feet on the north side. Wednesday we will have north/northeast winds 7-15 mph and seas start to turn to the northeast at 3 feet. Starting Thursday, winds will be turning to the east, but only 7-12 mph and this weekend looks quite calm. With a bit cooler temperatures (lows around 72 and highs around 80) this will be an outstanding weather week.

With such great weather, if you’re looking for a great daytime excursion, you can do no better than Jolly Roger Roatan. Especially if you are considering a cruise excursion, be sure and check them out.

Low tides are 12:40 p.m. and 12:40 a.m. Have a great week!

February 18, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Did I say I love seeing people in the weather photos? You gotta love the cute little girl in Rob Vagnier’s photo from West Bay. Remember the five photos with the most likes compete on Feb. 29 for $50 in food at La Sirena in Camp Bay. A norther is closing in this morning.

In the satellite you can clearly see the clouds on their way. Looks bad, right?

But when you look at the radar you can see that the heaviest rain is staying well to our north. The southern end of this cold front only has scattered showers.

This is the GFS forecast for rainfall for the next 24 hours. You can see that it is predicting about an inch for La Ceiba and less the farther north you go. If this forecast holds true, then Utila should get the most rain, a little under an inch. Usually the real totals aren’t this neat, so some folks will likely get close to an inch and others may get very little rain. But we will have clouds today. There will be a chance of rain tomorrow morning and after that decreasing clouds in the afternoon. Tuesday morning there will be a small chance of rain, but after that we will be dry, mostly sunny and cool for the rest of the week.

We start the day with winds from the west at 20 mph and seas 2-3 feet. As we get toward midday those seas should get a little wavier, especially on the north side, toward 4 feet and winds will come from the northwest 20-25 mph. Overnight seas will be up to 5-6 feet. Tomorrow winds will start to calm, turning to the north 10-15 mph and seas will start the day at 5 feet and calm to 4 feet on the north side. Tuesday and Wednesday light winds will still be from the north and seas 3 feet on the north side.

The end of next week into the weekend looks like beautiful weather, with mild winds and sunny skies.

The main courses on the new menu at Ikigai by Robby Molina look awesome. I’m a sucker for fried rice, or as many on the island call it, China rice. My wife will probably go for the vegan curry. No, she’s not vegan, but she loves curry and cauliflower. What do you want to try?

Low tides are noon and midnight under a half moon. Have a great Sunday!

February 17, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day is from Debbie Shortlegs in West Bay and shows a full rainbow. We will have a chance of seeing one of these tomorrow, but not today, as we will have mostly sunny skies and winds from the east around 10 mph and seas 2-3 feet on the southside and 1-2 feet on the northside.

Wind and wave forecast: In the satellite we can see the cold front in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Around midnight tonight we will see our winds turn to the west. Around 9 a.m. we will start seeing 20 mph winds from the west and around noon those winds will turn to the northwest. That will turn our waves from the northwest around 3 feet, maybe 4 feet by evening. Monday morning should be the windiest and waviest period, with 25 mph northwest winds and seas 4-5 feet. Seas calm Monday evening to 3-4 feet. Tuesday through Thursday look like gorgeous days, with mild north winds, seas around 3 feet on the north side and mostly sunny, but cooler than normal conditions.

Rain forecast: As you can see in the rainfall forecast here, rainfall on the islands is not expected to be extreme. Sunday morning there is a small chance of rain. Sunday afternoon and evening the rain chance is better. There wiil be scattered showers Monday, especially in the morning. Total rainfall should be around an inch, probably a little more Utila and west Roatan, a little less east Roatan and Guanaja.
Like I said in the wind forecast. Tuesday through Thursday look like gorgeous days. There’s a small chance of a morning shower Tuesday, but after that we should be dry, mostly sunny, and cooler than normal with a little lower humidity than we’re used to.

Extended forecast: This may really be the end of our northers. Next weekend there is a small disturbance that could hardly be called a norther. The week following that we see a return of strong easterly trade winds and dry conditions that are typical of the dry month of March.

If you haven’t been to Ikigai by Robby Molina in the last couple of weeks, you haven’t seen the new menu. I’m very excited by some of the new dishes and can’t wait to taste them. I’m going to feature a different page of the menu over the next week or so. Let’s start with the appetizers. Robby’s spring rolls have always been crisp and delicious and I love goat cheese, so I will definitely be sampling the spring rolls, but I’m also curious about ceviche with watermelon. Yum!

We will have a very low tide at 11:15 p.m. Be careful out there and have a great weekend!

February 16, 2024

Our photo of the day comes from Bo Shomaker in West End. Not a lot of our photos of the day have a person in them and I like the fact that this one has a youngster in it. Many of us got a nice rain early this morning. But we should clear out. We’re looking for another weak norther followed by some cool, dry weather.

Here are our rainfall totals before 7 a.m.

Here are the clouds that brought the rain. You can see they are moving from east to west and there’s not much behind them, so after a chance of showers before 9 a.m. or so, we should be dry and mostly sunny.

Rainfall forecast: After this mornings clouds clear out we will be dry through this afternoon. The chance of rain tonight and tomorrow morning will be less than it was this morning, maybe 10 percent. Saturday will be dry. Sunday is the day our weak norther arrives. Some computers give us cloud and scattered showers all day Sunday and some say they will arrive in the afternoon, but we will have decent chances of off-and-on rain Sunday and Monday, but totals shouldn’t be much more than an inch. After a chance of rain Tuesday morning, we look really dry for the following week.

Wind and wave forecast: We start the day with east winds 10 mph and seas 2-3 feet. Those will continue today, but as we get toward evening our east winds will increase to 20 mph and seas to 3-4 feet. Tomorrow winds will be light and mostly from the southeast, with seas starting the day 2-3 feet and ending the day 1-2 feet. Sunday winds turn to the west, then northwest at 20 mph and seas 2-3 feet from the west/northwest. Monday morning will be the windiest and waviest of the norther, with north winds 20-25 mph and seas 4-5 feet on the north side. After that they drop to 2-3 feet for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Temperature forecast: I don’t often do temperature forecasts for reasons I explain here: https://roatanweather.org/frequently-asked-questions…/
But I’m going to make an exception because this norther will bring us some cooler weather. Sunday and Monday will be cooler because of clouds and showers, but Tuesday and Wednesday will be cooler because of cooler drier air behind the cold front, as you can see on this forecast map that shows dry air in brown. Wednesday morning should be the coolest of all and the best chance of seeing some 69 degree readings on the islands (20.6C).

Low tide is 10:15 p.m.

I’ll be heading down island today to get the best meat on the island. James Thomas and his crew at Carniceria Rosita give you the best cuts and always serve it up just how you like it. Have a great Friday!

February 15, 2024

This morning’s photo comes from Philip Sikora and is looking at the mountains of the mainland from Flowers Bay. I love days when you can see the mainland clearly and it generally happens after a nice rain clears. We don’t have a lot of rain in the forecast through Saturday, but a norther should bring more rains Sunday and Monday.

Rain forecast: On this morning’s satellite we can see a few popcorn clouds moving from east to west and at 7:30 a.m. some are approaching Guanaja. So we will leave a small chance of a scattered shower until midmorning. After that we should be mostly dry through Saturday, though I can’t rule out a nighttime or early morning shower tomorrow. Sunday through Tuesday rain chances go up as our next norther, which looks a lot like our last norther, comes through. Not all day rains, just scattered showers here and there.

Speaking of rain, many of us got a shower just after midnight this morning. Here are the rain totals.

If your “good boy” is a growing pup and an graying older dog, you need to give Mitch Cummins at Roatan Pets a call at 98017828. He can create a formula specifically designed to your dog’s needs.

Wind forecast: We wake up to east winds around 10 mph and seas from the northeast around 3 feet. When seas are from the northeast, the waves are similar on both sides of the islands. Seas should be 2-3 feet through tomorrow with a tendency to be more from the east, meaning that the north side may get even calmer. Winds will be from the east 10-15 mph today and tomorrow. Saturday looks quite calm with very light winds and seas 1-2 feet. Sunday winds turn to the northwest at 17-22 mph and seas from the northwest at 2-3 feet.

Low tide is 9 p.m. Have a great Thursday!

February 14, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. Our photo of the day comes from Jamini McLaughlin Elwin in my neighborhood of Jonesville Point. I’m not a flower expert so if someone knows what kind of flower this is, please let me know in comments. Really short forecast because I’m flying back to the island today (yay!). We got some nice rains last night across our islands. We will have scattered showers this morning and tomorrow morning and we’ll be mostly dry in the afternoons. Also dry Friday and Saturday waiting for our next norther Sunday. Winds will switch from northeast to east today at 7-12 mph and seas should calm to 3 feet from their current 4-5 feet. Have a great Wednesday!

February 13, 2024

Good morning Bay Islands. This photo from Dawn Horton in West Bay was taken the last time we had a norther. That was a lot windier than this one will be. We wake up to northwest winds 15-20 mph and seas around 3 feet on the north side.

Rain forecast: There are a few clouds out there, but there are areas of sun.. We will still have scattered showers in the forecast, but most of the day should be partly cloudy. Tomorrow there will be a 30 percent chance of a scattered shower and Thursday a 50 percent chance of a morning shower. Rainfall totals shouldn’t be too bad though, so if you have plans the next three days, this shouldn’t ruin them. Friday and Saturday look nice, then Sunday our next norther comes with a chance of rain.

Wind and wave forecast: We will have northwest winds today 15-20 mph and seas 3 feet on the north side, perhaps getting to 4 feet by evening. Seas will continue to be 3 feet on the north side tomorrow, but with calmer winds 5-10 mph turning back to the east. Seas on Thursday will be from the northwest, meaning 3 foot seas on both sides of the islands. Things look a bit calmer into the weekend before our next norther comes on Sunday, with winds pretty similar to today’s norther.

Don’t forget this from Ikigai by Robby Molina: “Rediscover romance at Ikigai this Valentine’s Day! Indulge in an exquisite dining experience with our specially curated menu for lovers, meticulously prepared by the renowned Chef Robby Molina. As one of the top 100 chefs in the world, Chef Molina’s culinary expertise promises to elevate your Valentine’s Day celebration to new heights.
Nestled in the historic Romeo’s building in French Harbor, Ikigai offers a picturesque setting with a commanding view of the harbor, setting the stage for a truly romantic evening. As the sun sets at 5:45pm, immerse yourselves in the beauty of the moment and savor the culinary creations of Chef Molina.”

Low tides are 6:15 p.m. and 6:40 a.m. Have a great Tuesday!

February 12, 2024

Good morning Roatan. Our photo of the day comes from Dian Lynn watching the sun go down from Sundowners in West Bay. We will have clear skies today and winds light and variable. Seas should calm on the southside from 4 feet this morning to 3 feet and maybe 2. A very weak norther is coming tomorrow.

The long view of the satellite shows a cold front entering the Gulf of Mexico. It brought me some snow here in Oklahoma (just a quick trip, we’ll be home soon). Most of the cold air is moving to the east, not the south, so this system will be very weak when it gets here tonight. We will have clouds and scattered showers tomorrow and a chance of rain through Thursday, but rain totals should be anywhere between half an inch to 2 inches. Tomorrow winds will be from the northwest 15-20 mph and seas around 4 feet on the north side. Wednesday winds will turn back to being from the east at 10 mph, but seas will still be coming from the northeast, meaning 2-3 foot waves on both sides of the islands. For the end of the week and the weekend we’ll have mostly dry conditions, 20 mph east winds and seas 3-4 feet on the southside. Another weak norther is coming Sunday night into Monday.

This is the week for the guys to cook isn’t it? And we know, guys don’t cook they grill. And if you want the best meats on the island, check out Carniceria Rosita in Coxen Hole and French Harbour. Keep in mind the prices on this list are subject to change. But I know whatever cut of meat you want, James Thomas and his crew can serve it up for you.

Low tides are 5 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. under a very small crescent moon. Have a great week!