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Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 5:07 pm
by sku01pt
I'm looking for a good radar for the island..what's your go to radar?.....thanks

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 6:31 pm
by Coconuts
Well, my personal favorite is here: http://www.vi-satweather.com/

I did say personal...

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 6:49 pm
by News of St. John
Piggybacking on this post - what is the most reliable forecast for both the weather - air temps, rain percentage - and the marine forecast - water temps, wave heights?

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 8:20 pm
by Coconuts
CTBG: Traditional weather forecasts for the VI are not all that useful, and tend to spook people, since they typically call for showers (brief, somewhere) every day. The air temperature varies quite predictably over the course of the year, as does the average rainfall, so rather than look for day to day predictions, the following single graph has most of what you need to know. The ocean temperatures also vary very slowly, bottoming out in January at about 79 F, and peaking in August at 86 F. Once you are on island, satellite radar as per the web site I wrote is worth checking, especially if you are headed out on the water. I check the wind speed at the Two Brothers before I go sailing, but that is a password protected web site. Wave heights are important in the winter, and buoy 41043, 150 miles north of the VI, provides valuable warning of North Shore waves: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/show_plot.php? ... _label=AST
As Pia has noted, there is usually a 7 - 10 day stretch of back to back bad weather (rain, overcast) sometime every spring and fall, which can be a bummer if you arrive about the same time that it starts. Another "weather forecast" that can be worth monitoring from May to October predicts the levels of Sahara dust, which can make distant views hazy: http://forecast.uoa.gr/dustindx.php. And, of course, there is always the potential for a hurricane during that season (mostly August and September; see the second image below). Fortunately, both the eye and the island are not very big, so a direct hit or even a near miss is pretty unlikely. That is in contrast with the mainland coast, which is very long, and is pretty developed along its entire length. Hope this helps!
USVI Weather
USVI Weather
Hurricane frequency by month
Hurricane frequency by month
All the best,

Kevin

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 9:34 pm
by News of St. John
Thanks Kevin. I'm predicting a pretty beautiful stretch of weather in the next few weeks...because I am arriving in less than two weeks! But you know, even if it does rain, I know I'll still be happy while I'm there.

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 10:04 pm
by Fisheye
Thanks, Kevin!
I have often wondered a source for this info!

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 11:24 pm
by Exit Zero
Try using www.weathercarib.com -- it is produced locally and has a very comprehensive collection of accessable sites for the weather - most boaters here depend on it daily.

Re: Weather?

Posted: Sun May 12, 2013 1:28 pm
by sku01pt
Thanks everyone!ill be there for thanksgiving this yr so I'm trying to get all the info i can...wooohoo!

Re: Weather?

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 4:16 pm
by sasky
Coconuts wrote: As Pia has noted, there is usually a 7 - 10 day stretch of back to back bad weather (rain, overcast) sometime every spring and fall, which can be a bummer if you arrive about the same time that it starts.
We hit this on our last trip a couple years ago around Memorial Day. We had 1 or 2 days of sun, and then clouds and rain the rest of the time. I tried my best to take the whole "a rainy day on St. John..." mentality, but it was a real bummer.

We're going in June and I am hoping we are past that point...

Re: Weather?

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 5:14 pm
by michigan girls
Coconuts wrote:Well, my personal favorite is here: http://www.vi-satweather.com/

I did say personal...

All the best,

Kevin
Good Lord man, is there anything you can't do?? :)

Re: Weather?

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 7:51 pm
by Coconuts
Anything? Lots! I'm in awe of anyone who has mastered a musical instrument, for one. But thanks in any event.

All the best,

Kevin

Re: Weather?

Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:52 pm
by News of St. John
Exit Zero wrote:Try using http://www.weathercarib.com -- it is produced locally and has a very comprehensive collection of accessable sites for the weather - most boaters here depend on it daily.
That's a very neat site. Thanks for sharing. Is this a particular site that you find to be the most reliable for temperatures?