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Where to get weather in the

Bahamas and Caribbean

Weather Broadcasts in the Bahamas

    Staying in touch with weather broadcasts while cruising the waters of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos is not too difficult, even if you don't have ham or SSB capabilities.  Starting in Florida, where of course you have the wonderful VHF weather channels provided by the National Weather Service (NWS), you have WRFX, 940 Khz in and WIOD at 610 Khz.  
     In Nassau you can receive the local Bahamian radio station ZNS I at 1540 KHz which also broadcasts simultaneously on FM at 107.1 MHz.  ZNS II on 1240 KHz and ZNS III at 810 KHz can usually be picked up in the northern Exumas.  WGBS also from Miami at 710 KHz has weather four times an hour 24 hours a day.  In the New Providence area you will be able to pick up BASRA Coral Harbour (Carolyn and Nick Wardle) giving the weather and tides at 0715 every morning.  BASRA will place a call on VHF ch.16 and then move to ch. 72 for weather information.  Skippers can contact the Nassau Marine Operator on VHF ch. 27 and ask for the latest weather report from the Nassau Meteorological Office.

     If you have ham radio capabilities you can pick up the Bahamas Weather Net every morning at 0720 on 3.696 MHz, lower sideband.  Carolyn Wardle, C6AGG, whose husband Nick is Ranger in Nassau, begins with the local weather forecast and tides from the Nassau Met. Office.  Next, hams from all over the Bahamas check in with their local conditions which Carolyn later forwards to the Nassau Met. Office to assist in their forecasting.  If you are interested in the approach of a front you can listen in and hear what conditions hams in the path of the front have experienced.  All licensed amateur radio operators with current Bahamian reciprocals are invited to participate.  The local conditions in the weather reports follow a specific order so listen in and give your conditions in the order indicated.  If requested, Carolyn will send you some information on the types of clouds and their descriptions along with a log sheet.  Be sure to thank Carolyn for her tireless efforts that benefit all mariners, not only those with ham licenses.  Thanks Carolyn. 

     At 0745 on 7.268 MHz you can pick up the Waterway Net.  Organized and maintained by the Waterway Radio and Cruising Club, this dedicated band of amateur radio operators begin the net with a synopsis of the weather for South Florida and then proceed to weather for the Bahamas (with tides), the southwest north Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf Of Mexico.

     If you have marine SSB capabilities you can pick up BASRA’s weather broadcasts every morning at 0700 on 4003 KHz, upper sideband.  Later in the day you can pick up the guru of weather forecasters, Herb Hilgenberg, Southbound II, from Canada.  Herb operates from his home in Canada and you can find Herb on 12.359 MHz, upper sideband, at 2000 Zulu daily.

     The United States Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Virginia weather broadcasts can be received on your SSB on 4428.7 KHz (ch. 409), 6506.4 KHz (ch. 601), 8765.4 (ch. 816), 13113.2 KHz (ch. 1205), and 17307.3 (ch. 1625).  Times are 0600, 0800, 1400, and 2200.

     Weather coverage is usually quite good in the islands especially if you have an SSB or HF receiving capabilities.  A cruisers favorite is the guru of weather forecasters, Herb Hilgenberg, Southbound II, from Canada.  Herb operates from his home in Canada and you can tune in to Herb on 12.359 MHz, upper sideband, at 2000 Zulu.

      All cruisers suffered a loss when David Jones passed away in November of 2003.  But the Caribbean Weather Center continues to provide all the same services that David provided with Chris Parker at the microphone from his sailboat, Bel Ami, or from the Caribbean Weather office in Tortola , BVI.  Chris’ summer schedule, April to October, begins at 0630 EDT on 4.045 or 8.137 MHz, 0730 EDT on 8.137 MHz, 0830 EDT on 8.104 MHz, on 12.359 MHz at 0900 EDT (or when Chris finishes on 8.104 MHz), and 16.531 at 0930 EDT if Chris expects to communicate with any vessel in the Eastern half of the Atlantic that day.  Chris’ winter schedule, November to March, begins at 0600 EST on 8.137 MHz, then moves to 4.045 MHz at 0630 EST, and then at 0730 EST you’ll find Chris on 8.104 MHz, and Chris will finish up on 12.359 MHz at 0800 EST.  Quite often during the winter months Chris may be late in getting to the 12 meg and 16 meg frequencies.  If 12.359 MHz is busy Chris will use either 12.356 MHz or 12.362 MHz.  When severe weather or tropical weather systems threaten Chris will also transmit in the evenings, usually on 8.104 MHz at 2400 UTC (2000 EDT) and Chris will usually announce this on the morning net.  Chris begins the net with a 24-48 hour wind and sea summary followed by a synoptic analysis and tropical conditions during hurricane season.  After this, Chris repeats the weather for those needing fills and finally he takes check-ins reporting local conditions from sponsoring vessels (vessels who have paid an annual fee for this service).  For those who seek more information about weather, weather patterns, and the forecasting of weather, should pick up a copy of Chris Parker’s excellent publication: Coastal And Offshore Weather, The Essential Handbook.  You can e-mail Chris at chris@mwxc.com.  By the way, unless tropical weather is threatening, Chris does not broadcast on Sundays, everybody needs a day off.     

     One of my favorite forecasters is a ham operator named George Cline, KP2G.  George can be found on the Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net located at 7.241 MHz, lower sideband at 0715 AST, 15 minutes into the net.  George gives an overview of the current Caribbean weather beginning in Trinidad and working his way up the chain to Puerto Rico.  At 0730 AST, George moves to 7.086, lower sideband for further Caribbean weather information and questions and answers.  The same weather information is then transmitted in a weatherfax format.  George returns to the airwaves at 1630 AST, 15 on the afternoon cocktail net at 7.086 lower sideband. 

     For Bahamian weather information on the Internet, visit www.bahamasweather.org, the website of the Bahamas Department of Meteorology featuring forecasts, tide tables, and satellite images.  You can access the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov, and the NOAA weather site at www.nws.noaa.gov. 

     In Grand Turk, Flagstaff comes on VHF ch. 13 at 0800 for local weather.  When Flagstaff is off island, Brian Riggs (of the Turks and Caicos National Museum) handles the weather broadcasts using the call Bluewater.  

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Weather Broadcasts In The Eastern Caribbean

         All cruisers suffered a loss when David Jones passed away in November of 2003.  But the Caribbean Weather Center continues to provide all the same services that David provided with Chris Parker at the microphone from his sailboat, Bel Ami, or from the Caribbean Weather office in Tortola , BVI.  Chris’ summer schedule, April to October, begins at 0630 EDT on 4.045 or 8.137 MHz, 0730 EDT on 8.137 MHz, 0830 EDT on 8.104 MHz, on 12.359 MHz at 0900 EDT (or when Chris finishes on 8.104 MHz), and 16.531 at 0930 EDT if Chris expects to communicate with any vessel in the Eastern half of the Atlantic that day.  Chris’ winter schedule, November to March, begins at 0600 EST on 8.137 MHz, then moves to 4.045 MHz at 0630 EST, and then at 0730 EST you’ll find Chris on 8.104 MHz, and Chris will finish up on 12.359 MHz at 0800 EST.  Quite often during the winter months Chris may be late in getting to the 12 meg and 16 meg frequencies.  If 12.359 MHz is busy Chris will use either 12.356 MHz or 12.362 MHz.  When severe weather or tropical weather systems threaten Chris will also transmit in the evenings, usually on 8.104 MHz at 2400 UTC (2000 EDT) and Chris will usually announce this on the morning net.  Chris begins the net with a 24-48 hour wind and sea summary followed by a synoptic analysis and tropical conditions during hurricane season.  After this, Chris repeats the weather for those needing fills and finally he takes check-ins reporting local conditions from sponsoring vessels (vessels who have paid an annual fee for this service).  For those who seek more information about weather, weather patterns, and the forecasting of weather, should pick up a copy of Chris Parker’s excellent publication: Coastal And Offshore Weather, The Essential Handbook.  You can e-mail Chris at chris@mwxc.com.  By the way, unless tropical weather is threatening, Chris does not broadcast on Sundays, everybody needs a day off.

     Another cruiser favorite is the guru of weather forecasters, Herb Hilgenberg, Southbound II, from Canada. Herb operates from his home and you can tune in to Herb on 12.359 MHz, upper sideband, at 2000 Zulu.

     One of my favorite forecasters is a ham operator named George Cline, KP2G. George can be found on the Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net located at 7.241 MHz, lower sideband at 0715 AST, 15 minutes into the net. George gives an overview of the current Caribbean weather beginning in Trinidad and working his way up the chain to Puerto Rico. At 0730 AST, George moves to 7.086, lower sideband for further Caribbean weather information and questions and answers. The same weather information is then transmitted in a weatherfax format. George returns to the airwaves at 1630 AST, 15 on the afternoon cocktail net at 7.086 lower sideband.

     In the southern Windward Islands (and Barbados), and especially for those cruisers bound for Trinidad and Tobago, the most popular weather report is given by Eric Mackie, 9Z4CP, on the Caribbean Emergency and Weather Net that meets daily at 0630 on 7.162 MHz, lower sideband, and at 1830 on 3,815 MHz, also lower sideband. The net begins with check-ins until five minutes into the schedule when official weather reports are given. Then Eric, a TV weatherman in Trinidad, comes on with his own weather observations. Mobile Maritime ham operators are welcome to give their weather observations while underway as Eric uses these reports to assist him in creating and verifying his forecasts. If you can’t find the net in the morning on 7.162, try them on 3.815 MHz, lower sideband. You can check out a photo of Eric on the Internet at www.tv6tnt.com, where you’ll also find the latest weather charts for the area.

     On 4.426, 6.501, 8.764, 13.089, and 17.314 MHz, you can pick up the voice weather broadcasts from NMN four times a day at 0500, 1100, 1700, and 2300 EST.

     In Martinique, you can pick up weather forecasts on 1310 AM and 94.3 FM in the Fort de France/Le Marin areas.

     In southern St. Vincent, Sam’s Taxi gives weather forecasts at 0900 and 1730 daily on VHF ch. 06, and in Martinique, COSMA gives weather forecasts in French at 0730 and 1830 on VHF ch. 11. In Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, there is a daily VHF net on ch. 68 at 0750, Monday through Friday, where you can pick up on the latest weather forecasts. In 2001, a cruiser’s net was started in Prickly Bay, Grenada, with a daily weather forecast at 0730 on VHF ch. 68.

    In the Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands Radio (WAH) offers repeats of the latest NWS forecasts for the Caribbean, both High Seas and Offshore depending on the time.  ITU Channel 401, receive 4357.0 Mhz USB, transmit 4065.0 Mhz USB.  At 0600- Eastern Caribbean; 0800-Virgin Islands; 1400- Eastern Caribbean; 2000-Virgin Islands; 2200-Eastern Caribbean.

Weather Broadcasts In The Northwestern Caribbean

     Here too you can pick up Chris Parker and Herb, but there's more for the information hungry cruiser. For those with ham/SSB capability you can also find weather reports on the following nets:

1.  Caribbean M/M Net: Saint Croix . 7.230MHz - 7.240Mhz. at 1100 Zulu

2.  Central American Breakfast Club: 7.083 MHz at 1300 Zulu

3.  Halo Net: 21.390 Mhz at 2100 Zulu, covers the United States and South America .

4.  Mississauga Net: 14.121Mhz. at 1245 Zulu, covers Europe , the Med, the Atlantic , the Caribbean and Central America .

5.  Northwest Caribbean Cruisers Net: 6.209MHz or 6.212MHz at 1400 Zulu, covers from Mexico to San Andres Island and I’ve picked them up as far away as Jamaica and the Caymans.  The Northwest Caribbean Net is a directed net.  A weather report is given and check-ins are requested from boats in the waters of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.  The net finishes with boat to boat contacts.  Several boats anchored along the Río Dulce usually check in to this net every day and this would be an opportunity for you to talk directly with boaters who are currently on the river.

6.  Panama Canal Connection Net: 8.107MHz at 1330 Zulu, covers the Pacific from Mexico to Galapagos, and the Atlantic from Belize to Colombia with an emphasis on the southwestern Caribbean.

7.  Trans Atlantic Net: 21.400Mhz at 1300 Zulu, covers north Atlantic and Caribbean.

     On a local level you can find weather forecasts on the AM and FM bands; although all the stations broadcast in Spanish, some offer English forecasts at certain times.  In Mexico , XFP in Chetumal stands by on 2.182 MHz, XFC in Cozumel stands by on 2.182 MHz, and the San Miguel de Cozumel Pilots can be contacted on VHF ch. 16.  On the AM and FM bands there are hundreds of stations up and down the dial.

© Stephen J. Pavlidis 2010