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Steadiest temperatures in the tropical resort islands of the Caribbean and Mexico:
There was a big debate on Friday at work (with everyone heading off to mid-winter vacations), what tropical islands in the Caribbean and Mexico have the smallest annual range of temperature. I know that many Americans and Europeans are modestly familiar with at least a few of the tropical resort Islands in the Caribbean and Mexico - since many vacation there at one time or another in the cold season. So far I have still only managed a few Caribbean/Mexican Islands…but it’s a new year.
Here is the best I can’t come up. It seems St. Thomas/Cruz Bay in the United States Virgin Islands is the winner:
The Mexican West coast resort islands (Los Cabos, Acapulco..etc) don’t seem to make it from what I can tell (summers too hot)….the Caribbean side of Mexico (Cancun, ect) are really off (up to a 8 F annual range)….the Netherland Antilles (Aruba…etc) don’t make the cut (summers too hot )…. and of course I checked Kingston (close – but still greater than the US VI). So it looks like the USVI is the most steady tropical island in the Caribbean and Mexico.
Is there a sizable resort island in the tropical Americas with a lower annual range? For Europeans and Americans what do are their favorite climates in Mexico or the Caribbean?
I'm confused that the USVI has the smallest range.
Apparently their summers are supposed to be insanely hot and humid
yet I've seen St. Thomas in wintertime and my experience ranged from
"a bit chilled"
to
"a bit heated"
(shade temperature)
Given what I know,
I expected a 15-25 F difference in average heat index from winter to summer.
I would have guessed Jamaica would be more stable; warmer winters yet similar summers?
I'm confused that the USVI has the smallest range.
Apparently their summers are supposed to be insanely hot and humid
yet I've seen St. Thomas in wintertime and my experience ranged from
"a bit chilled"
to
"a bit heated"
(shade temperature)
Given what I know,
I expected a 15-25 F difference in average heat index from winter to summer.
I would have guessed Jamaica would be more stable; warmer winters yet similar summers?
Just what I would have thought. Yet:
Here is Kingston: The annual range is 5.2 F…(Feb mean temp 77.9….July mean temp 83.1):
The winter months in both locations are really close…but it looks like winters as slightly warmer in the USVI...the annual range is a hair smaller in USVI...and the annual mean temp is 77.9 in Kingston, Jamaica and 80. 8 F St. Thomas USVI.
Wow, you were a "bit chilled in winter" time in St. Thomas in the shade (lol). The mean high is 86 F in January (I would assume shade temps) .
The winter months in both locations are really close…but it looks like winters as slightly warmer in the USVI...the annual range is a hair smaller in USVI...and the annual mean temp is 77.9 in Kingston, Jamaica and 80. 8 F St. Thomas USVI.
Wow, you were a "bit chilled in winter" time in St. Thomas in the shade (lol). The mean high is 86 F in January (I would assume shade temps) .
I've been "a bit chilled" before 8:30 am (sunrise was nearly 2 hrs earlier) and after 8-10 pm.
Though I think I might have been warm at sunrise and into the night once; felt like a mild-heatwave.
Last day I was there the high was only 80 F with a low of 68 F.
^^ One of cruxan's favourite cold winter days?
That 80/68 F day felt great in the sun (while dry) between 10 am-4pm,
a bit yucky for swimming, good in the shade from 11 am-3pm.
and after 4 pm as the sun started to lower, I didn't enjoy not being in the sun.
*I pay to go to the Caribbean to be a weather-snob and "usually" the weather caters to me.
(to get what Canada won't give me in our summer)
Thoughts or comments?
I'd love to hear how those opinions sound to others.
Last edited by ColdCanadian; 01-24-2011 at 07:37 AM..
I've been "a bit chilled" before 8:30 am (sunrise was nearly 2 hrs earlier) and after 8-10 pm.
Though I think I might have been warm at sunrise and into the night once; felt like a mild-heatwave.
Last day I was there the high was only 80 F with a low of 68 F.
^^ One of cruxan's favourite cold winter days?
That 80/68 F day felt great in the sun (while dry) between 10 am-4pm,
a bit yucky for swimming, good in the shade from 11 am-3pm.
and after 4 pm as the sun started to lower, I didn't enjoy not being in the sun.
*I pay to go to the Caribbean to be a weather-snob and "usually" the weather caters to me.
(to get what Canada won't give me in our summer)
Thoughts or comments?
I'd love to hear how those opinions sound to others.
My last experiences went something like this:
Cancun, Mexico in January: Picture perfect weather, sunshine high temps about 85 F…low temps about 65 F, and surf temp about 80 F. I felt little chill in/out if sun, or in/out of ocean. The only thing I noticed was that after around day three, in the morning, upon first stroll when it was in the middle 60’s… I did feel slightly cool (maybe my body was now geting used to higher temps ?). Still my best trip of all time.
A high of only 80 F seems a bit low for the USVI...seeing as their highs in Dec- Feb are normally in the middle 80's. Was this durning a rainy time?
The USVI is really my next trip (saving hard)...so I hope that it is what I think it will be ok:
Cancun, Mexico in January: Picture perfect weather, sunshine high temps about 85 F…low temps about 65 F, and surf temp about 80 F. I felt little chill in/out if sun, or in/out of ocean. The only thing I noticed was that after around day three, in the morning, upon first stroll when it was in the middle 60’s… I did feel slightly cool (maybe my body was now geting used to higher temps ?). Still my best trip of all time.
A high of only 80 F seems a bit low for the USVI...seeing as their highs in Dec- Feb are normally in the middle 80's. Was this durning a rainy time?
The USVI is really my next trip (saving hard)...so I hope that it is what I think it will be ok:
If you liked Cancun, you'll love USVI.
Cancun seems to be more prone to nasty winter cool snaps (relative to their tropical, coastal location)
Several day spells with highs of 19-23 C (67-74 F) seem quite common in winter.
Actually when it was 80/68 F, it was incredibly sunny the whole day,
though the USVI were bizarrely-green at the time from previous rains.
You could see thick, dark green undergrowth behind the organ pipe cactus.
When I was there in the mini-heatwave (72 F mornings, 90 F afternoon?)
except for sheltered valleys, the landscape looked semi-arid, like as if it'd been rainless for 1.5+ months
(comparing it to summer levels of moisture in Eastern North America)
My expectations are probably higher,
as I'm looking for compensation from Toronto's anemic summers during the Caribbean winter.
(It's just as easy for me to be happy in a South FL winter vs. Caribbean winter as my expectations are lower.)
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