Rain In Roatan

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sngatlanta

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Location
Canton, GA USA by way of Texas
How much does it really rain in Roatan in January? Are we talking day after day or a little every day or? Also what are the air and water temps that time of year?
 
Actually, you've hit the best time of year to go to the Bay Islands. We've been in Sept, Apr and Feb and to Central America various times between Sept and Apr. Perfect time of year for much of the area.

If it's hurricane season in the US, it's hurrican season in the Carib. and hurricane season in the US ends in October or so.

The temperatures around the year at 16 deg N, afaict, are hot, humid but not unpleasant. It's shirt sleeve and shorts time and a beer is always tasty. Should be the dry season, too. Pick a full moon and Utila for whale sharks. Roatan, Guanaja and Cayos Cochinos (the other Bay Island) are not places to see them.

We'll be there in Feb.
=Terry
 
I went to Roatan this January--the last week in Jan to be exact. I got a great deal, which is why I went--and the resorts are offering the same great deals this next Jan, which is probably why you're going in Jan!

But the 3-4 weeks prior to my trip this year, it was raining there almost non-stop. The airport in Roatan closes if it sprinkles, and for the weeks leading up to our trip, we kept hearing nightmare stories about people not being able to get off the island and having to pay for extra days at their hotel until it quit raining.

Luckily this didn't happen to us, but it rained a LOT the week we were there. Out of 7 days, we had 2 days with ANY sun and it was sporadic at best. The rest of the time it was just cloudy and windy. When it rained, it didn't last all day--it would rain, then stop, then rain, then stop....and a lot of times it would rain at night. My favorite was when it would start raining while we were diving--I got a great picture of the rain hitting the surface from underwater. Very cool! I would definitely take a rain jacket or poncho, at least for the dive boat--it can get pretty chilly with the wind blowing the rain on you when you're wet.

The water was pretty choppy from the winds and some days being on the dive boat was like riding a bucking bronco. We were on the south side at Fantasy Island and were able to dive every day. We only had to cancel one dive because a bad storm was coming in but otherwise did all 3 dives every day. We toured Anthony's Key resort on the north side and the water was so rough over there, none of the boats were out. People on the plane who stayed there said they hadn't been able to dive much that week.

The air temp in Jan was ok--it was mid 70's and humid, which was comfortable during the day but I was cold from diving all day every day and had to wear a jacket at night. The water temps were a pretty consistent 78 degrees that week--I froze on every dive but most of the other divers seemed fine in 3 mils.

Basically I had a great time and would love to go back but the only way I would go back in Jan is if I got a great deal. The locals I talked to, and my TA at Fantasy Island who is from Roatan, all said May is the best month to go. But weather in the tropics is always iffy so just book it and go have a great time! :)
 
Thanks cxg31s
I had heard that January was rainy season and it sounds like they told the truth. I’m not worried about being in the rain during a dive as much as it’s effects on visibility and of course rain in the tropics equal mosquitoes. We haven’t finalized our plans yet and just need something to push me over the hump.
 
But, it would be more precise to say that the Caribbean Huricane season is the same as the rainy season on the Bay Islands. It is tru that Huricanes pretty well ignore the Islas de la Bahia, but I think it's hard to forget Huricane Mitch Oct 27, 1998.

The storms come from the North. The worst storms in January are easily predicted when you see the Jet Stream dip low across the US Plains delivering heavy and cold winds, causing freezing temps in Texas and across the South.

If these fridgid dips continue, they reach the Bay Islands and cause night time temps in the high 60's (and less). All resorts except those on the South side of Roatan are shut down for all intents and purposes. Few North side resorts such as AKR make such valiant efforts at moving people and boats to the South, but dive boat attendance and bus riding divers are few. Their PRO 48 boats are designed for the common calm of the North Side.

FIBR and CCV fair much better with their boats and locations.

CocoView has a decided advantage here in that their boats have center moon well access and their shore dive is the best on the island, altho Fantasy is sharing the same channel, notwithsatnding.

FIBR and CCV have an added advantage of being fairly far East along the South Side, and the farther East one goes, the less run-off sedimentation is encountered. From FIBR West to Coxen Hole and West End, the particulate matter can be an issue because of all of Fantasy's dredging.

I saw my first whale shark on a shore dive from CCV right in front of FIBR on Roatan. It was almost on the dark of the moon altho during a daytime dive. When they get predictable, let me know.

The driest months are April-May-June.
 
I was in Roatan last January during the RAINS !!! We were set for a two week trip, but it was delayed by three days as we could not get into Roatan. One of the nights was spent in San Salvador, since we were already enroute (almost there) when they closed the airport. While we were there, it rained every day almost all day and night. It did not interfere with the diving, but it did make life a little more difficult. When it came time to depart, we were delayed for two more days - airport closings. Just roll with the punches and it should be OK. You just never know about the weather. Would I do it again? YOU BET !!!
 
You were one of the unlucky ones my TA and all the Roatan locals were telling us about! For weeks before my trip in Jan, we kept hearing about all these people stuck on the mainland because the Roatan airport was closed, losing 1-2 days off their vacation, then getting stuck on Roatan trying to leave because the Roatan airport was closed again, and being stiffed by the hotels. I ended up getting DOUBLE trip insurance a few days before my trip so I'd be covered--thank goodness I didn't end up needing it.

I agree--you've gotta roll with the punches when stuff like that happens. Yes the rain sucked, yes the water was cold, yes viz was down because of the rains and the run-off, no we didn't get to shore dive because the waves were too rough....but YES I had a great time and would do it again if I got a great deal!

Of course, the 1/2 price happy hour at Fantasy Island sure helped my outlook...heh heh heh My bar tab for a whole week's stay was only $40 and that included buying rounds of beer for new friends that I met! :)

sngatlanta, let us know what you end up deciding!
 
Aeolus once bubbled...
I was in Roatan last January during the RAINS !!! We were set for a two week trip, but it was delayed by three days as we could not get into Roatan.

While in the tropics it can rain any time during the year. That much heat and that much water can lead to rain. However, as I said in my post, this is not the time of year that rains most frequently. Two weeks of rain in January would be very unusual. This is peak tourist season. The rains start slowing down at the end of October and that lasts until April. Can it rain during that time? Of couse. Is it less likely than May-Oct? Absolutely.

The point I made about hurricane season was not "when there are hurricanes in the US, there are hurricanes in the Caribbean". What I said was that the weather forces that drive hurricanes up into the US are the same forces that cause unstable, rainy weather in the Bay Islands and throughout the Caribbean.
=Terry
 
terrydarc, I think we're talking about 2 different things--hurricane/tropical storm season in the Caribbean and Roatan's rainy season. Roatan is pretty much off the beaten hurricane track, except for the "surprises" like Hurricane Mitch, as RoatanMan noted. But if you ever watch hurricanes track across the Caribbean during hurricane season, you'll see that Roatan is usually well south of the hurricane's path. Here is information about weather in Roatan lifted directly off www.roatan.com:

"WEATHER
Of course the weather varies quite a bit, but you can count on SSE trade winds during most parts of the year. Because of this, many people find air conditioning unnecessary. September is the warmest month, with daytime temperatures in the mid 90's. Most of the island rain falls between October and January. Tropical storms are most common in late summer to fall in the Western Caribbean, but fortunately Roatan lies south of the normal track. Water temperatures vary between 76 - 86. If you are prepared for 78 F, you should be comfortable. Roatan Charter keeps a weather log at www.roatan.com/weathermain.htm"

This agrees with information obtained from my TA, several locals on Roatan and my own personal experience from my trip in Jan. My TA at Fantasy Island, who is from Roatan, as well as my divemaster at Fantasy Island, told me the best months to visit Roatan are April, May and June because they are typically the driest months and the viz is the best because of that. I agree with you that it's a tropical climate, so it rains off and on just about year round. But Roatan's actual rainy reason usually runs from Oct-Jan, which is almost opposite of destinations like Cozumel and Cancun, who usually dry up around that time.

I'm not meaning to be argumentative or slam you in any way--I just had different information and wanted to share it with anyone seeking info on Roatan's weather. :)
 

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