nikyyo:
I have a weeks vacation for Labor Day week and I'm debating whether I should go to Coz or Cocoview. I do have a trip voucher for Coco that I have to use up so i'm leaning toward Roatan. I know it's hurricane season but if anyone could give me some specifics about what kind of weather I could expect in Roatan that time of year (short of a hurricane) I would appreciate it. Thanks.
You are correct in all of your statements. You will be exposed to the tropical storm seaon in Roatan and the Bay Islands. These storms generally tack to the North West and strike landfall between Belize and the Yucatan, Coz and Cancun. In the Bay Islands you might suffer rains, while to the North they might be evacuating.
Neither destination is a sure bet picnic.
Know this, however: As to Roatan, your best bet is a resort on the South side. Crummy weather comes from the North and unless you are at CoCoView or Fantasy Island you're going to be disappointed. If it gets really icky, AKR will send you around to the South side on their boats and take you diving to a few of the Western dive sites on the South side. (Do not count on any other operation to do this)
Watch on the internet satellite images of the Africa-South America South Atlantic. You will see quite clearly what weather forecasters talk about when they say, "storms spawning on the continent of Africa, move West over the Atlatic and follow an Equatorial path". As they reach South America, they may "lift" and rotate in a wide sweeping arc, up and to the right of the winward Caribbean islands, or they may plw right through. In the Gulf is where storms gain power.
They may lift there in a clockwise pattern and either fall harmlessly on any piece of land from Belize around the pan and back to Florida, or in very rare occasions (Mitch 1988) may do what they can not do, and that is to head South right for the Bay Islands and the mainland of Honduras. Included in this relatively Hurricane proof (?) area is also the Northern coast of South America: Los Roques, Aruba Bonaire Curacao, etc.
Either way, it's going to be wet. But then again, you were already wet anyway!
