Spring vs. Fall

[janetcbl]

We have taken Viking cruises in late Spring (May and June) and in the Fall (September). In none of the Spring cruises have we had to miss a port due to weather, winds, etc. In all of the Fall cruises we have missed at least one port due to wind,weather. I am beginning to think, with regards to the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding waters, Spring is the “safer” time to plan a trip. Expert knowledge, anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MSEm]

Late summer and fall is hurricane season. If you are cruising in the Caribbean or Atlantic you may have rough seas and miss ports because of storms.

[janetcbl]

38 minutes ago, MSEm said:

Late summer and fall is hurricane season. If you are cruising in the Caribbean or Atlantic you may have rough seas and miss ports because of storms.

Yes, “In the Wake of the Vikings”  (2018?) missed ports were due to a hurricane.

[lackcreativity]

We have missed ports in April (Naples, high winds) and in October (Falmouth, storms). It's always a gamble trying to predict weather, as there are outliers even during a particular season. It also seems obvious that those highly unusual weather events are becoming less unusual these days. Just ask the people on the Atlantic coast of Canada this week.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, janetcbl said:

We have taken Viking cruises in late Spring (May and June) and in the Fall (September). In none of the Spring cruises have we had to miss a port due to weather, winds, etc. In all of the Fall cruises we have missed at least one port due to wind,weather. I am beginning to think, with regards to the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding waters, Spring is the “safer” time to plan a trip. Expert knowledge, anyone?

 

In the Atlantic you have 2 different weather systems - Tropical Revolving Storms (TRS) and Frontal Depressions.

 

The TRS season is June through November, with August, September & October being the months with the highest potential for encountering storms. These are spawned in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (aka Doldrums), initially moving NW'ly into higher Latitudes. Over the warm waters of the Tropics, they gain power and increased wind speed.

 

Once a TRS hits land, or rotates to the NE, they tend to lose power and wind speed. The Caribbean is often on the track, but few TRS make it into far north Latitudes, with the current one being an exception.

 

Therefore, TRS storms are prevalent in mostly in the Tropics from August to October, inclusive. While they can impact UK and North Atlantic, it is not too common.

 

Frontal depressions occur at the front, which is a joining of warm and cold air masses. These generally form in mid to higher latitudes and track easterly to north easterly. They can happen at any time, but are fairly rare in the summer months. The wind speed is dependent on how deep (low pressure) the depression is created. These storms can be as bad as all but the worst category of TRS. In UK/Northern Europe, they can start in September, with frequency increasing by October/November. They continue throughout the winter and become less common in the Spring months.

 

However, in the summer months, you can also get significant winds due to a pressure gradient from regions of high pressure.

 

Unfortunately, when dealing with weather, there is no definitive answer. 

[CCWineLover]

On 9/25/2022 at 10:20 AM, Heidi13 said:

 

In the Atlantic you have 2 different weather systems - Tropical Revolving Storms (TRS) and Frontal Depressions.

 

The TRS season is June through November, with August, September & October being the months with the highest potential for encountering storms. These are spawned in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (aka Doldrums), initially moving NW'ly into higher Latitudes. Over the warm waters of the Tropics, they gain power and increased wind speed.

 

Once a TRS hits land, or rotates to the NE, they tend to lose power and wind speed. The Caribbean is often on the track, but few TRS make it into far north Latitudes, with the current one being an exception.

 

Therefore, TRS storms are prevalent in mostly in the Tropics from August to October, inclusive. While they can impact UK and North Atlantic, it is not too common.

 

Frontal depressions occur at the front, which is a joining of warm and cold air masses. These generally form in mid to higher latitudes and track easterly to north easterly. They can happen at any time, but are fairly rare in the summer months. The wind speed is dependent on how deep (low pressure) the depression is created. These storms can be as bad as all but the worst category of TRS. In UK/Northern Europe, they can start in September, with frequency increasing by October/November. They continue throughout the winter and become less common in the Spring months.

 

However, in the summer months, you can also get significant winds due to a pressure gradient from regions of high pressure.

 

Unfortunately, when dealing with weather, there is no definitive answer. 

As usual, Andy, an Excellent Explanation!

You sir are a wealth of knowledge and thank you again for sharing.