Reliable climate information is vital for travel planning, but it’s not easy to know where to look, and even the official information can be confusing. Should you, for example, pay attention to average daily highs, average temperatures or number of wet days per month?
Take the lush and lovely Caribbean island of Antigua. Would June be a good month for a visit?
A quick Google search throws up some conflicting information. According to Tropicalweather.net, June is one of the three driest months of the year, while Definitivecaribbean.com warns of a “short rainy season in June”. Antigua-guide.info predicts 71mm of rainfall, which looks like quite a lot.
To add to the confusion, the first day of June marks the official start of the hurricane season in the Caribbean. However, most visitors enjoy excellent weather during June with the greatest risk of seasonal storms arriving in August and September.
That doesn’t mean it’s sensible to ignore the work of meteorologists. Most climate information is based on historical data and is – broadly speaking – accurate.
But you do need to know how data can be twisted or misunderstood. Here is a guide to important climate information, and how to read between the lines.
What’s the temperature?
Average temperatures can be misleading. A man lying with his head in an oven and his feet in a freezer is, on average, comfortable. Take Las Vegas, for example. The average temperature in August is 32ºC (89.6ºF). That might sound perfect – until you learn that the average high is 39ºC (102ºF) and the average low is 23ºC (73.4ºF). Not so comfortable.
Another important factor is humidity. Hong Kong in June gets up to 30ºC (86ºF) but with relative humidity at 75%, the city feels extremely muggy. On the other hand, Marrakech in Morocco sees temperatures of 31ºC (87.8ºF) in June but with humidity at 35% it feels much more pleasant.
Traveller’s tip: don’t be fooled by average daily temperatures quoted in travel brochures. Find the average highs and average lows. Also look for relative humidity.
How many wet days?
Many climate charts state the number of wet days you can expect in a destination in any given month. The problem with this data is that it is collected locally and not all cities agree on a universal threshold.
For example, Palma in Mallorca uses a threshold of zero, so even a trace of precipitation will count as a wet day. This explains why Palma officially suffers eight wet days in May. By contrast, in Cancun day with more than 2.5mm of rain are considered wet.
Traveller’s tip: take note of the threshold used for wet days. If the threshold is zero, don’t panic if a few days of rainfall are predicted.
How much rain?
If you’re concerned about rain, don’t just look at the total rainfall expected in any given month. For example, Havana gets more rainfall in February than London, even though the Cuban capital enjoys an average seven hours of daily sunshine compared to three hours in London. That’s because rainfall in the tropics tends to fall in short sharp bursts. A sudden downpour before dinner is a lot more fun than a day of freezing sleet.
Traveller’s tip: don’t ignore total rainfall figures, but compare them with the average hours of daily sunshine and the number of wet days per month.
Can you swim in the sea?
Sea temperature is an important factor if you plan to spend days splashing about on the beach, yet few travel brochures bother with this information. As a rule, the sea is warmer towards the end of the summer season. For example, in Corfu Town the sea temperature is 22ºC (71.6ºF) in October but just 18ºC (64.4ºF) in May. Most swimmers find that 20ºC (68ºF) – 25ºC (77ºF) is a comfortable range.
Traveller’s tip: check the website weather2travel.com, which shows sea temperatures for every month of the year for thousands of holiday destinations.
What is the actual forecast?
In the days before you travel it’s a good idea to check the forecast so you know whether to pack sunscreen or waterproofs. Some websites offer 10-day forecasts but these tend to be less reliable. The BBC weather site – news.bbc.co.uk/weather – offers five-day forecasts, which are a better bet.
Traveller’s tip: check the BBC site two or three days before you travel.
* Mark Hodson is co-founder of 101 Holidays and 101 Honeymoons. Follow him on Twitter.
(Featured image: Rick KT)
