The air to the east of Belize is still pretty dry (yellow area). A tropical wave is approaching but the top end of it has very little moisture. To the north is the remains of a cold front soon to be reinforced by a fresh outbreak of colder air in the southern States. Belize may get some rain but probably not very much due to lack of strong convection.

Since the 22nd of September there has been only 43 mm of rain. A large upper air cell of High Pressure has been sitting over the central Gulf of Mexico keeping the area around the Yucatan dry for the past 3 weeks. This cell has finally started to collapse allowing more moist air to flow into the NW Caribbean. Will follow this change in air mass to see if there is a return to rainy weather.

The area of active weather has drifted to the north west, with only a slight affect on Belize. Measured only about 13 mm of rain. Weather should improve over the next few days.

Back to updating this blog again. Was in Canada from August 15 to September 11 so missed experiencing the wet weather here in Belize during my absence. Rainfall records show that there has been almost 2 feet of rain here in Belmopan since August 14, 2013. Now watching the area of active weather off the north east coast of Honduras. Will report on this disturbance in the morning.

Band of thunder showers moving across central Belize including Belmopan area. Last night the Belmopan area received almost 40 mm of rain and the rain right now is going to add to this. Will report again later today.

The western Caribbean is very low in water vapour at the moment. Belize is dry. Rainfall for July was well below normal at only 182 mm and so far in August only 10 mm. There is a tropical wave forming in the far eastern Caribbean which I will be following over the next few days.

Since my last report there has been an increase in the level of moisture affecting Belize. For the past 9 days there has been frequent but mostly brief rain showers. However today the shower activity has been more intense. A series of thunder showers moved in from the Gulf of Honduras with Belmopan being on the northern edge of this band of showers. Rainfall for today was 12 mm or 1/2 inch. Since July 13, the total rainfall has been almost 70 mm. The ground is now pretty much saturated.

Thunder Shower last night

A trough of low pressure had become trapped and locked under an upper ridge and storm cells form overnight and move northward up through Central America across Belize and the Yucatan. Measured 21 mm of rain from a Thunder Shower last night in Belmopan. Off to the east in the Caribbean the weather is very dry. So the rain over Belize is a welcome relief. The image shows the position of the cells sometime after midnight last night.

drought alert

The Caribbean looks pretty dry. To the far east end it is extremely dry. Do not see any more rain once the current wave has passed by. The rain shower at 1 PM produced 20 mm of rain.

Tropical Wave

Its July 1 and a weak tropical wave has arrived in Belmopan at 1 PM with a moderated rain shower. Belize should experience scattered showers over the next 24 hours. Once this wave has passed, dry air will be returning since dry air from Africa is approaching the eastern Caribbean.