Tropical Weather

Galveston is no stranger to tropical weather. During hurricane season, from June 1st through November 30th, Galvestonians keep a close eye on the Gulf, and to trusted weather sources. This is also the height of the tourism season for the island. We’ve compiled tropical weather data below to help you plan your travels.

National Hurricane Center Tropical Weather Discussion

Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 0015 UTC Wed Jan 15 2025

Tropical Weather Discussion for North America, Central America Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, northern sections of South America, and Atlantic Ocean to the African coast from the Equator to 31N. The following information is based on satellite imagery, weather observations, radar and meteorological analysis.

Based on 1800 UTC surface analysis and satellite imagery through 2300 UTC.

...SPECIAL FEATURES...

Atlantic Significant Swell Event: Large, long-period NW swell is impacting the central Atlantic. Seas greater than 12 ft cover the waters N of 22N between 29W and 54W. Seas are peaking around 15 ft near 30N40W. The swell will shift eastward while subsiding tonight, with combined seas decreasing below 12 ft by early Wed. Looking ahead, another round of significant NW swell will impact the waters N of 25N between 40W and 70W starting Wed afternoon and persisting through Friday, with wave heights of 12-18 ft possible.

Please refer to the latest High Seas Forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center at the website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFAT2.shtml for more details.

...MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ...

The monsoon trough enters the Atlantic waters near 06N11W and extends to 05N13W. The ITCZ extends from 05N13W to 02S40W. Scattered moderate convection is noted S of 06N and W of 33W.

...GULF OF MEXICO...

A frontal boundary extends across the SE and south-central Gulf from the Straits of Florida to 22N93W. Meanwhile, a surface trough is analyzed from the south-central Bay of Campeche to the Texas coast near Port Mansfield. Fresh to strong winds are north of the front, as well as over the far SW Gulf W of the trough. S and E of the front, gentle winds prevail. Seas are in the 6-10 ft range W of the front and 3-6 ft S and E of the front.

For the forecast, the cold front that extends will slide E of the area tonight, while a surface trough lingers over the western basin into Thu night. Strong N winds will prevail W of the trough. At the end of the week, southerly winds may increase to fresh to strong ahead of the next cold front. ...CARIBBEAN SEA...

Fresh to strong trade winds and seas of 8 to 10 ft are over the south-central and SW basin. Moderate to fresh trade winds, and seas of 4 to 7 ft are noted over the north-central basin. Gentle to moderate trade winds, and seas at 3 to 5 ft, prevail over the remainder of the basin.

For the forecast, large long-period NW to N swell will impact the Atlantic passages and waters E of the Leeward and Windward Islands into Wed. High pressure building across the western Atlantic will maintain moderate to fresh trade winds over the eastern and south- central Caribbean, with strong winds pulsing off Colombia as well as offshore Hispaniola into Fri night. Additional significant long period swell is likely to arrive into Atlantic passages by Fri.

...ATLANTIC OCEAN...

Please refer to the SPECIAL FEATURES section above for details on the significant swell in the Atlantic.

A cold front currently extends from 31N38W to 18N62W. Another cold front extends from 31N67W to 25N80W. Between the fronts, a 1023 mb high is centered near 25N70W. Light to gentle winds are in the vicinity of the high, with gentle to moderate winds generally prevailing elsewhere. The main exception is in the vicinity of the Canary Islands, where moderate to fresh NE winds prevail, along with localized areas of strong NE winds between the islands. Aside from the area discussed in the Special Features section above, seas 8 ft or greater cover much of the waters E of 64W. W of 64W, seas are in the 4-7 ft range.

For the forecast W of 55W, the cold front in the central Atlantic will slide east of the area tonight. Large swell E of 64W will gradually subside through tonight. The west Atlantic cold front will reach from 31N52W to the SE Bahamas by Wed morning, then continue E before stalling over the far SE waters Thu night.

ERA