General
information about the weather as we know it here in Bequia. Please
note that it is still the weather, we don't give any guarantees!
The climate in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines is tropical, there is not much variation in
temperature which is around 86º F, 29º C.
The islands are located at around latitude12º30' North, which puts them
in the path of the Easterly Tradewinds. This is what makes the Windward
islands a perfect sailing destination!
Officially
there are two seasons, the "rainy season" and the "dry
season."
The dry season is from
the 1st of November till the 1st of June.
The weather: Sunny and
windy. There could still be occasional "tradewind showers" which
are usually very short. The prevailing winds will be from the North East
at 15-25 knots. For a certain period after Christmas the wind will be
20-30 knots, these are the "Christmas winds". This period can
occur any time in January or February.
The rainy, or hurricane
season is from the 1st of June till the 1st of November.
The weather: Our most
frequently asked question is: so how much will it rain, and what is the
chance of hurricanes? Well, we can't tell you that, but we can give you
the general idea:
Approximately every three days a tropical wave will form off the
coast of Africa. These tropical waves are small fronts which will bring
cloudiness and showers for a day. Depending on how strong the wave is, it
could rain for two hours continuously, or you may get an occasional shower
during the day with partly cloudy skies.
The tropical waves have the potential to develop into tropical
depressions, meaning guaranteed cloudy skies and rain.
The tropical depressions have the potential to develop into tropical
storms, packing winds of over 35 knots.
When the wind is over 65 knots the system will be called a hurricane.
There will be plenty of warning when a hurricane is threatening to
approach the island chain, you will know at least three days in advance
that a system is coming.
For tropical weather updates including updated satellite imagery our
preferred weather station is weather Underground. It is free, and easy to
use. We'll include the link below, when you reach the page visit this
linkfor a satellite image, and this
one for a detailed description. The main page is:
The good news: St.
Vincent and the Grenadines is located at the Southern edge of the
hurricane belt. The last time a hurricane passed directly over the
Grenadines was in 1955. Hurricanes from Africa usually have a much more
Northerly destination.
St. Martin and the Virgin Islands used to be the worst hit in recent times.
In 2004 and 2005 Grenada for some reason got hit by Ivan and Emily. As
the hurricanes continue Florida and the Carolinas could be badly affected
as well.
When a hurricane passes North of us, the weather here is absolutely
gorgeous, as it will draw all the moisture away from us. We'll have
exceptionally clear blue skies and a visibility of 50 miles!
