Sun and fun are why tourists come to the Caribbean. The warmth of the people and proximity to North America and Europe are important, but weather is what drives business to, and from the West Indies! How exactly does weather effect life down amongst the islands and where is the weather important, in the Caribbean or at home?
For starters, the perception of weather plays a factor as much as the weather itself. In the summer and fall there are two common misconceptions about the weather that keep tourists from heading south and visiting the land of rum.
The first is concern about Hurricanes reeking havoc and causing troubles. It does happen, but not often. Florida and the Carolina’s get hit but hurricanes three times more frequently than any island in the West Indies. The storms start down here and then head north, by passing most places. When the storm is first forming, it isn’t as severe and will usually just dump rain, making the islands green and fresh.
Heat is another weather concern, and on small islands it doesn’t really happen! People think it is going to be hot because in North America and Europe the further south one travels the warmer the environment. That is true up to a point, and on large land masses. The Caribbean is small island surrounded by deep seas and oceans, plus near the equator. These factors stabilize out the temperatures, resulting in fluctuations of just a few degrees between the dead of winter and the heat of summer. The high in most of the Caribbean rarely exceeds 88 or drops below 75.
Weather does actually play a factor in tourism in the Caribbean, but it isn’t Caribbean Weather. The weather in the places the tourist live effect tourism in the Caribbean. An early cold spell that starts to drag on causes people to want to escape, and the West Indies is very convenient. The same can apply to knowledgeable people in Southern United States that want to escape the summer heat!
The winter, and really harsh winters the most, are the time for tourists. It is when the beaches become populated, hotels fill up, and airline tickets start to soar. Then things slow down during May, slightly pick up in the summer, and then completely die is September! It is the weather!
Of course, bad weather can also stop travelers by closing down airports, though again, that is usually the weather in other places than the Caribbean! Weather, you can do nothing about it except talk1
