Anyone know what the beaches of Matagorda Island are like? (Galveston: 2015, houses)

[tom77falcons]

Sand and water? Water warm in say April/May or October/November?

When would the winds be calmest there in summer or the shoulder seasons?

[SugLandDAd]

Yes the waters are warm there, and people are going in the water starting in mid April, and about mid November is when most full body swimming is over.... that said, on a warm day, people wade all year.


Fall, Winter and Spring have the stronger winds, averaging maybe 12 MPH.....August is about the least.....Winds are lighter there most summer mornings, but as the day heats up, a south east sea breeze generates for most of the day, averages maybe 8-9 MPH in mid summer which is good because Matagorda has some fierce mosquitoes, and the onshore winds help push them back off the beach

[tom77falcons]

Originally Posted by SugLandDAd

Yes the waters are warm there, and people are going in the water starting in mid April, and about mid November is when most full body swimming is over.... that said, on a warm day, people wade all year.


Fall, Winter and Spring have the stronger winds, averaging maybe 12 MPH.....August is about the least.....Winds are lighter there most summer mornings, but as the day heats up, a south east sea breeze generates for most of the day, averages maybe 8-9 MPH in mid summer which is good because Matagorda has some fierce mosquitoes, and the onshore winds help push them back off the beach

Is the water a blue green color or brown like Galveston?

[SugLandDAd]

Greenish Brown? Brownish Green?


The water color is the most brown when the Mississippi is running fast in the spring.... as the year progresses the flow of the Mississippi slows down, and the amount of sediment that trails off to the west along the Texas coast also goes down....the further you go towards South Padre.... the better it gets as well.....so, Matagorda is better than Galveston almost always, but no, its not blue green most of the year.


https://southtxitservices.com/wp-con...s-1080x608.jpg

[tom77falcons]

Originally Posted by SugLandDAd

Greenish Brown? Brownish Green?


The water color is the most brown when the Mississippi is running fast in the spring.... as the year progresses the flow of the Mississippi slows down, and the amount of sediment that trails off to the west along the Texas coast also goes down....the further you go towards South Padre.... the better it gets as well.....so, Matagorda is better than Galveston almost always, but no, its not blue green most of the year.


https://southtxitservices.com/wp-con...s-1080x608.jpg

maybe it was just stirred up from the wave action. Wonder if it turns more blue green on windless days?

[SugLandDAd]

All the rivers in Texas that flow into the Gulf also pour sediment in......bottom line is that east of the Mississippi, the shoreline is more sandy, coral and rock, and the rivers slow and more clear...west of the Mississippi, the land is more clay...and the rivers flow faster. Most of the Texas rivers flow brown as they enter the Gulf. the drier it is, the less the rivers flow, the less brown the water is.


The green you see in the waters east of the Mississippi is also attributed to the lighter colored sand , which reflects the sun back in teh shallow water and gives you that green color Destin is famous for......we don't have that white sand, so the effect is less.


I used to drive tankers across the Gulf of Mexico, its remarkably clear and blue out there in the middle.



Galveston Bay- Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers



https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/com...s_flowing_out/


Brazos River


http://mikestexashunt-fish.com/wp-co...-of-Mexico.jpg


San Bernard River


https://www.cradletxsar.org/wp-conte...h_4_8_2009.jpg

[madrone2k]

Years ago, my job sent me to a couple of seismic boats and an oil platform in the deep-water Gulf ... off Texas and off Louisiana. The water that far offshore was indeed a beautiful blue color. Flying there by helicopter, it was interesting to see a distinct line separating the brown water from the blue water. If only they could use all the Mississippi sediment to build up the delta rather than sending it over to us! :-)

[calgirlinnc]

Amazing dolphin watching down there.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by SugLandDAd

All the rivers in Texas that flow into the Gulf also pour sediment in......bottom line is that east of the Mississippi, the shoreline is more sandy, coral and rock,

There is no large coral content on the US mainland until you get down to South Florida and the Keys. Also, there is no natural rock anywhere in the Southern US coastline outside of areas in Florida with exposed limestone.

Sand is the material that always ends up on the beach, whereas silt and clay settle out to the sea-floor. This dynamic doesn't change east vs west of the Mississippi, so the only differences arise from the amount and composition of the sand.

and the rivers slow and more clear...west of the Mississippi, the land is more clay...and the rivers flow faster. Most of the Texas rivers flow brown as they enter the Gulf. the drier it is, the less the rivers flow, the less brown the water is.

There is also large amounts of clay east of the Mississippi, just in a different form than what occupies much of Texas. The clay east of the river is of the highly leached red form, a continuation of what is seen in East Texas/Piney Woods. The clay in other areas of Texas is calcareous derived, with darkness that depends on the amount of decayed organic matter present.

Galveston Bay- Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers



https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/com...s_flowing_out/


Brazos River


http://mikestexashunt-fish.com/wp-co...-of-Mexico.jpg


San Bernard River


https://www.cradletxsar.org/wp-conte...h_4_8_2009.jpg

Many rivers will get discolored as an area experiences large amounts of rainfall. This is east of the Mississippi, from the causeway going to Dauphin Island in AL:
https://www.google.com/maps/@30.2947...7i13312!8i6656

In fact, South Texas, Florida, and parts of North Carolina area the only areas of the South that will feature beaches with reliably blue, clear water.

[Texyn]

Originally Posted by Anywhere but here

Look at a map that shows the Gulf current flow. The common color brown is the silt from the Mississippi. Waves break with or without wind. The water at best is a murky color.

Bottom sediment stirred up by waves can also discolor the water. On clearer days, it looks better, so the poster was correct.