The reason not to travel to the Caribbean in the Fall

 Need I say more?

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Safety Tips here.

Earthquakes and Caribbean Tourism

Seems Puerto Rico cannot get a break. Today's quake hit the island destination earlier this morning.  Details from PR are found here.

Hurricane Maria is still in the minds of the citizens and to read a summary, check this out.

My thoughts go out to our island friends.

This is a landing at SJU before Maria and the last time I visited the island.

Hurricane Dorian

As this storm heads toward the mainland, there is a lot of hoopla surrounding the path.  Do your self a favor and go to the National Hurricane Center and not that dot com site staffed with beautiful people.

And for that matter, download a tracking map and follow the storm.

I have posted info on hurricanes frequently on this blog, so you can do a search.

Stay prepared.

Named Tropical Cyclones

The list for 2019 is out.  And this is official, unlike the one that we find on the TV channel that now names all storms.

I would everyone to start naming every weather event.  If it is a bad storm, like the one that killed 3 people in Missouri yesterday, you might name it after someone you dislike (surely today, there is someone you dislike). 

But more optimistically, if the weather is nice, name the day after a friend or pet.  Yesterday for example was a Bubba-Doo kind of day.  Spunky, friendly and a great companion.

For the ones on that TV station, refuse to use their name and use the one you want to use.

Hurricane Michael coming ashore soon

For the latest advisory on this big storm, see here.  General information and graphics will be found at this site.  Dangerous flooding from the storm surge is expected. Move inland immediately.

But for crazy surfers, the storm brings crazy waves.  Be careful.

For Sale $8.9 million house in Category 1 Hurricane flood zone

Water front property is the dream of many, but if you buy land on the Cape of Cod, Massachusetts, your waterfront may be underneath you.  Compare these two images.

The first is from Zillow.com and shows today's listing for properties in Cape Cod.  For $8.9 million you can buy a 4 Bedroom, 6 Bathroom (?!?!), cottage (nearly 8,000 square feet).

But if you research this a bit, the Cape Cod Commission notes the location of flooding from a modest Category 1 Hurricane.

Not to be fair, will the hurricane happen?  Maybe and maybe not.  Is the house high enough to reduce the damage from a small hurricane?  Perhaps.  My estimates are just based on a quick look using the imagery and not a ground survey. 

But in any case, the Cape of Cod will cease to exist in the future (10,000 years) according to a report in the New York Times.

Martinique spared....so far

Some of the French Caribbean got hit by hurricanes while other islands were spared.  Guadeloupe is on my list to visit, so I may need to wait a bit.  Martinique, on the other hand seems to be open for business. I suspect tourism will increase for this island, as folks scatter from the islands hardest hit so far this season.

Docks in Le Marin, Martinique.

Diamond Rock.

Oh yeah, still have another month of Hurricane season.

Caribbean Hammered by Hurricanes Updated

The New York Times reported the devastation of several popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean this past week.  The most alarming fact reported however is the large disparity between the islands and the dependence on tourism.

Puerto Rico's electrical grid was destroyed, so the impact is felt across the island.  Yet only 7% of the jobs are in the tourism sector and tourism only contributes only 8% of the the GDP in 2016!

But take Tortola and the other British Virgin Islands to the east where 84% of the jobs and 94% of the GDP is in tourism.

Shame, I was hoping to return to Tortola in the winter to attend one of the full moon celebrations, not the one at the Bomba Shack however!

Instead, we would attend the the Trellis Bay option.

Another report came in last night and gives an update on conditions.  Seems tourists are fleeing to other islands to seek sun and sand.

Happy Fall and helping our neighbors

I hope this note finds you and yours happy.  So take some time to help others who may not be happy by donating time, money and/or goods to help those affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, hunger or poverty.

Since the Caribbean has been hit hard and many depend on tourism to their income, consider taking some of that vacation money to help our neighbors out.  The Red Cross is one of many organizations that you can use.  And Nuestras Raices in Holyoke, Mass, is collecting for Puerto Rico.

Help the recovery

Sure Irma's path in Florida is a mess. Millions without power, clean drinking water and for that matter communication.  But we need to look a bit south to those island nations that are less affluent.

Since many of these islands depend on tourism, the recovery must be quick in order to meet the winter demand for tourism. (like me who wants to escape the New England weather, sit on a beach and each Fresh fruit and vegetables).

Oh yeah the All Inclusive Beaches Resort is still closed for business.

So as I said earlier, always anticipate hurricanes in the late summer in the Caribbean before travel plans.  You do not want to be part of the problem. Stay home.

Hurricanes 2017

I won't say I told you so, but ......

My blog back in July alerted tourists of the risk about travelling to the tropics during hurricane season.  Florida seems to be listening to the warnings. But Barbuda and Antigua got slammed yesterday, Puerto Rico, and then TCI tomorrow?

Keep informed by official weather reports and not the beautiful people on the W Channel.

Check out this loop for Puerto Rico.

And of course, after Harvey and Irma comes Jose.  Oh yeah, Katia heading for Mexico.

Hurricane Update for Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

Yucatan Peninsula is in for some nasty weather as well as the Lesser Antilles over the next week.  This is where that vacation insurance comes handy.  While you are waiting to make the final call to cancel your trip, use the tracking maps and make this a learning experience.

Keep an eye on the weather in Martinique and the RADAR they provide.  A long range forecast is found here (in French).

Traveling to Caribbean this Hurricane Season?

Be sure to know the emergency shelters available to you when you visit the islands.  For example, if you plan a trip to the Turks and Caicos this season, see this news report for your shelters.  You can also get advice from Tripadvisor.Com.

Plan ahead by checking the National Hurricane Center.

Or better yet, make your travel plans at the last moment.

Hurricane update

So it is still early, but I posted a hurricane update a last year that links to YouTube  video earlier.  Still no activity this year, but it is still early.  Best not to make travel plans, or if you do, do it one week out.

In the meantime, check out  the weather in Europe.  (at the time I wrote  this, there is a serious low over eastern UK.)

Hurricane Season Prediction 2017

Late summer and early fall is a popular time to travel.  But if you are heading to the Caribbean, you should pay attention to the NOAA prediction.

So pay attention to the weather forecast before travelling into the area.

Hurricanes in the Fall

A few years ago, a friend was getting married in the fall and planned a honeymoon in the Caribbean.  Hurricane Matthew is precisely the reason NOT to do this.  When ever I plan to travel to this region, I make, especially late summer and fall, I will book the trip one week out.

Here is the prediction as of today 29 Sept 2016:

For the Atlantic and Pacific storms visit http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Normal Hurricane Season Predicted

It is now officially hurricane season.  What might happen?

Here is my attempt to chronicle Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Another Wx Site

Seems there are a million different sites to get weather information.  This one was shared by a friend and I submit it here (instead of bookmarking it).  It might be interesting to see how it covers the tropical storms.

enjoy!

Hurricanes and tourism

Ever wonder why the best deals for the Caribbean occur late summer and fall?  Hurricanes!

I would not book a trip to the Caribbean anytime from July to November until a week out.  Since these tropical storms move slow, say 15-20 mph, and the general direction of the path can be predicted a few days out, it is best not to risk it by "early birding" a trip months out.

For conditions in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific visit NOAA.

Hurricane Season for Atlantic predicted to be big

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, the Atlantic Ocean is expected to have a busy Hurricane Season this year.   The Pacific is expected to be more calm.

On a related note especially since Super Storm Sandy slammed the east coast last fall, Tornado victims in Oklahoma may not get the badly needed help since their own representatives believe the US should not help victims from disasters.

From the Washington Post:

Oklahoma has one of the most conservative congressional delegations of any state: seven Republican men, including fierce advocates for cutting federal spending.

Five of those seven voted no in January on a bill to provide $50 billion in disaster funding for states hit by Hurricane Sandy.

On Tuesday, the disaster was Oklahoma’s instead, a deadly tornado that swept through the town of Moore on Monday afternoon. So those representing Oklahoma all faced the same question: Would they support an influx of new funding — if necessary — for disaster relief efforts in Oklahoma?