Monday 26th March 2001, 1500 BST
Bermuda - shorts and sunshine | |  The view over Hamilton Harbour | | Bermuda is an isolated island lying in the North Atlantic, some 1,100 kilometres from New York. Its location makes it a popular destination with American tourists, but many tour ships also call there.
The island's climate is subtropical and the waters surrounding it are warmed by the Gulf Stream.
Late summer sea temperatures can be as high as 27 Celsius (81F), warmer than much of the Mediterranean.
Summers are very warm with June through to September achieving daytime temperatures of over 27 Celsius (81F).
Night-time temperatures during these months rarely fall below 21 Celsius (70F) and even in the middle of winter it is unusual for afternoon temperatures not to reach 20 Celsius (68F).
 | | Hamilton Street |
This is partly due to a very impressive sunshine record. Daily sunshine of five or six hours during winter rise to nine or ten hours in the winter months.
But despite the sunshine the island is relatively wet. Even the driest months see twice as much rainfall as the same months in the UK.
Fortunately most of this rain falls in short, sharp bursts as heavy afternoon showers and thunderstorms develop over the island.
Bermuda is sometimes hit by hurricanes. But lying well to the north of the Caribbean,it usually only experiences the dying stages of these tropical storms. |
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Motorway gridlock special
