Precipitation is usually on the decrease in February, but still fairly wet and humid.

Transcription

1

2 January coincides with the peak of the rainy season in Seychelles. It is an extremely wet and humid month with occasional outbreaks of showers day or night with a slight preference for rain in the late morning/afternoon hours. These showers are sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms. As is common in the tropics, it is not all gloom even in the rainy season, you can still enjoy a fair amount of sunshine and if you re in luck, you can even get away with 3 or 4 consecutive days of gorgeous tropical weather. This is also the peak of the Cyclone Season over the Southwest Indian Ocean; however these storms normally re-curve southwards and rarely affect the Seychelles or at least the main granitic islands. The Northwest Monsoon reaches its peak during this same period; however these winds do not have a very high constancy leading to occasional lulls in wind.

3 Precipitation is usually on the decrease in February, but still fairly wet and humid. The amount of precipitation is largely influenced by the level of Cyclonic activity over the Southwest Indian Ocean, the latter affecting the latitudinal position of the rain belt. It can get extremely wet like in 2001 (low cyclonic activity) or extremely dry like in 1982 (high cyclonic activity). Increase in sunshine and temperature as the proportion of dry to wet days also increases. The Northwest monsoon still the predominant wind, however conditions at sea is fairly good.

4 A significant decrease in precipitation is observed as we approach the end of the rainy season. You should enjoy lots of sunshine, however be on the lookout for the odd tropical showers which normally show a clear prevalence for the early afternoon. It s also getting fairly warm as the sun moves overhead. The Northwest Monsoon starts to weaken and consequently conditions at sea become more pleasant.

5 This is the month of the monsoon reversal, considered as the transition between the phasing out of the Northwest Monsoon and the onset of the Southeast Trade winds. It is characterized by light and variable winds, (conditions at sea can t get more pleasant than this ideal for fishing). This period also marks the end of the rainy season, however like in March be prepared for the occasional tropical showers particularly in the afternoons. April can get uncomfortably warm with maximum temperatures occasionally reaching The Cyclone Season is officially over

6 You should be able to enjoy long sunny days in fact this is the sunniest part of the year. The Southeast Trades set-in, winds pick-up, however the sea is not yet forbidding. Precipitation further decreases as we enter the drier period of the year, May normally experiences only few rain days. May offers a slight relief from the oppressive heat as a gentle southeast breeze brings slightly cooler air from the south. We re actually approaching the cool season in the south.

7 June is relatively dry, any precipitation is usually short-lived and light in nature. In most cases it shouldn t disrupt outdoor activities to any great extent. The diurnal pattern shows a clear preference of rain during the pre-dawn hours with lowest probability of rain in the afternoons. The Southeast Trades is usually well established and gets quite windy with choppy seas particularly towards the end of the month. Ideal conditions for windsurfing and sailing as the winds are pretty steady. It s also getting cooler as the islands are bathed in the southeast winds originating over the cool oceans of the south.

8 July represents the coolest and driest period of the year. Like June precipitation is normally very light in nature and short-lived. Those light drifting showers shows prevalence for the predawn hours and late afternoons. It can get a bit chilly at night for those not used to sub-25 C temperatures. July gets very windy with the Southeast Trades approaching its peak. Conditions at sea can get pretty rough. Amateurs at sea should probably limit themselves to the near-shore area. The beaches exposed to the southeast winds (south and southeast) are not very pleasant with high incidence of weeds washed onshore. The sheltered beaches of the west and northwest coast offer are more pleasant. (This condition are prevalent between June and September).

9 We ve reached the peak of the Southeast Trades. Gets rather cool and very windy with rough seas. The sea is certainly forbidding for amateurs. Precipitation is usually on the increase but still relatively dry. The rainfall regime is rather similar to July. August is noted for its extreme variation in rainfall can get extremely wet like in 1997 or extremely dry like in 1990.

10 If you enjoy a hot & humid beach holiday to enjoy all that these tropical islands with their pristine beaches have to offer, then September will not disappoint. It gets slightly wetter and warmer than August, but the pattern of showers means they fall mainly in the early morning hours or late afternoon. The south-east trade winds on the wane, but expect some incidence of strong winds and resulting rough seas to still prevail. The ambience weather-wise is hot and fairly sultry.

11 The dry season draws to a close as the rain belt approaches from the north. Relief as the winds weaken considerably but still maintain a predominantly southeasterly direction. October is the month with the highest number of dry days (16), unusual though it may seem considering it s at the end of the rainy season. The Seychelles in October are hot, humid, calm and the sea temperature is almost as warm as the air, with great visibility, making it perfect conditions for divers and snorkelers.

12 We re approaching the summer in the southern hemisphere, it s getting warmer and the rains set-in. There are still lots of sunshine around as indicated by the number of dry days below. The winds drop significantly and swing to the west. Conditions at sea quite pleasant. The average air temperature during the day is only a few degrees warmer than the sea, at around 30 C, and there is very little breeze.

13 It s well into the rain season. Generally wet and humid with occasional outbreaks of rain showers day or night, however there seems to be a clear prevalence of showers in the early afternoon. Quite common in the tropics is that even in the rainy season dry and sunny spells is still fairly frequent. On average December experiences at least 10 dry days and even during the rain days it doesn t necessarily rain throughout the day. Although the Northwest monsoon seems to be well established, we normally experience fairly light winds (the only exception is with the presence of tropical cyclones to the south which can stir up moderate winds for a couple of days). Outside of this, condition at sea is quite pleasant. It is summer down south and with the high humidity conditions can get a bit oppressive at times.