The Easter Winds are Here

Sandwiched between “Winter Perfection” (January and February) and “The Heat – and Humidity- are On” (summer) are the Easter Winds.

Late winter into spring.

In Belize, the bluster is called the “Easter Winds” for well… obvious reasons. Usually, March and April see the most consistent blow.

It’s not all day every day – but it can be many weeks in a row of strong winds. And yesterday…really hard last night…the winds started ripping!

Sand skittering across the beach and San Pedro’s Front Street. Water churned up and the sea… rougher than you might expect.

The mostly year-round breeze off the ocean is just cranked up a bit. We’re not talking about tropical storms. We’re talking steady 15 to 25 mph winds – sometimes stronger in gusts. (This morning they were gusting up to 30…33 mphs)

Seasonal. Normal. For the best wind predictor I know, see Windfinder.com.

What You Can Expect During this Time of Year

• Boat rides can be rougher (especially on smaller boats)
• More sargassum coming in (it was coming in slowly for the last week or two but has picked up this week)
• Feeling a bit crusty…the water kicks up on the reef and the air is full of salt
• Dusty, dusty, dusty golf cart rides

About those golf cart rides…dry season on Ambergris Caye is DRY! We probably got our last bit of rain (just a few mins) last week. And we might not see rain again…not even a drop until May? June? Roads can get quite dusty.

If you’ve got dust allergies like I do, remember to pack your meds. I’ve found Flonase (generic to be exact) is a lifesaver during dust season. I always carry a bandana (I’m a member of the Bandana of the Month club – and it makes me so happy) and during this season? Some kind of wet wipe.

And I know its old-school but wiping your face with Seabreeze Astringent are driving thru the dust? It feels like heaven.

When Is It Calmest?

Remember first that you can escape some of the blow if you head to the west side of the island – to Secret Beach for example. Things will be much calmer over there.

But if you are looking for the calmest waters and the least amount of wind, i’d say…late summer into early fall – August through October – tends to be calmer overall. We see certain days in October – called The October Doldrums – where the ocean can be completely flat and motionless.

But that ultra-calm season overlaps with peak heat, often peak humidity and and hurricane season. A trade-off for sure.

Don’t worry…the Easter winds settle down every year.

But until then…don’t even try to have “good hair.” 🙂