OK I admit it I am evil. The never ending Italy topic now migrating to the North America page but I really am clueless.

We are going on a Bahama cruise. I have NO idea what to expect weather wise other than warm. But would somebody define warm? Remember I live in the part of the US (Arizona) where other americans come for warmth in the winter. Would Puerto Rico be warmer than AZ? and if so how much? Muggy? Buggy? Inquiring minds need to know.

All I can say is you are used to hot dry heat and you can be sure of more humidity and with humidity more bugs! It looks like you are going this month? If so you are going at the best time...going anywhere in the Caribbean (sp) is going to be a different heat then what you are used to.

Nordstrom has or used to have an area in the store for cruise clothing, lots of linen and breathable cotton clothing. Think natural fibers no lycra or poly anything that sticks will be very uncomfortable.

Have a lovely time!

Good information on the humidity. I hadn't considered that more just temperature. I definitely have a ton of linen (works in the desert particularly during monsoon) so I will go dig that out.

Thanks so much.

quote:

Originally posted by Rome Addict:
Would Puerto Rico be warmer than AZ? and if so how much? Muggy? Buggy? Inquiring minds need to know.

The weather in P.R. this time of the year is pleasant since the tradewinds are blowing from the northeast and bringing in relatively cool air. You can expect day time temperatures to be in the low to mid 80's and in the 70's at night. Coming from 7% humidity you'll definitely feel it very humid. Humidity is around 70%. Chance of rain is always present but it should not last long. Re: bugs, well I don't recall having a problem with mosquitoes this time of the year but in case there are some vacationing on the island, it should not be as bad as in the summer.

January is a lovely time to be there. My husband and I are schedule to arrive in San Juan on the eve of the Epiphany, which is a big Holy Day there and part of the Christmas celebration. If you're on a criuse you'll be there for a day and my two favorite things to do in one day is to visit Old San Juan or the Rain Forest.

Hope the info is useful.
Maria (Arizonian by residence and Puerto Rican by birth)

I have never cruised but I have spent a lot of time on or near the water on the Caribbean.

Temperatures during the day (any time of the year) should be comfortable enough for shorts, short sleeves and sandals. The only exception is during a rain squall were temperatures may drop a bit. Still fairly warm but cool compared to temperatures through the rest of the day.

Evenings can be very cool when you are out on the water. Several times, in St. Lucia, the wind blew so hard at night, it dropped the temperature such that I had to close the hatches on my sailboat. If you are on land or are out of the wind then evenings can be very warm. But for those cooler nights, a light sweater or jacket should be enough.

Just a note about weather reports in the Caribbean. Most of the online services will report rain. The truth is, it rains almost everyday on most Caribbean islands. But the showers are brief, localized and often occur at night. I have seen squalls out on the water dumping rain on a boat while we were nice and dry. Kind of like one of those cartoons.

It is my understanding the cruise ship captains are pretty good at keeping out of the squalls (pretty easy to do with their radar and fast ship), so you may never see rain unless ashore.

In January in the Caribbean, you are out of the rainy season and the weather is usually pretty good. There is always a chance of rain but, if so, it will be brief.

Temps at that time in the Bahamas will be cooler than in Puerto Rico which is further South. It's basic earth science... the closer you get to the equator, the warmer it gets and vice versa. St Thomas would be even warmer as it is further South than Puerto Rico.

The Bahamas will be a copy of Florida weather at that time. Highs about 75; Lows around 60-65. Of course this is average and the wind direction will make all of that change... out of the South = warm... out of the North= cool.

Shorts/sandals for the days and a light jacket/sweater for the evenings with long pants. No bugs at that time of year.

As for humidity... well... as Judith says, you'll be dealing with some crazy hair days!!

It's not Italy but it's still a vacation...

quote:

Originally posted by Doug S & Judith G:


Temps at that time in the Bahamas will be cooler than in Puerto Rico which is further South. It's basic earth science... the closer you get to the equator, the warmer it gets and vice versa. St Thomas would be even warmer as it is further South than Puerto Rico.

The Bahamas will be a copy of Florida weather at that time. Highs about 75; Lows around 60-65. Of course this is average and the wind direction will make all of that change... out of the South = warm... out of the North= cool.

Shorts/sandals for the days and a light jacket/sweater for the evenings with long pants. No bugs at that time of year.

As for humidity... well... as Judith says, you'll be dealing with some crazy hair days!!

It's not Italy but it's still a vacation...

The Gulf Stream plays an important role in temperatures and it isn't always just latitude. Sometimes the Bahamas experience the same temps as FL but other times they get the warmer temps of more southern area s like PR.

I do have to admit that the temps are a bit cooler than what I would have expected. Bimini had lows in the high 50s several days this monthn.