Lifestyle
Where to get official weather forecasts and warnings in St Martin
Use MDS on the Dutch side and Météo-France vigilance on the French side, plus the NHC regionally. This guide explains the warning levels and the official contacts.
By SXM Daily ·
Each side of the island has its own official weather service. On the Dutch side, it's the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS). On the French side, it's Météo-France. Use the right one for where you are, and don't mix up their warning levels.
Hurricane Irma over Barbuda, 6 September 2017. Image: NASA / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Dutch side: Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS)
MDS publishes public forecasts, special bulletins, advisories and warnings, seismic information, aviation reports and climate publications, including a seasonal outlook. Its website is meteosxm.com, and you can call it on +1 721 545-2024 or 545-4226.
The government's Office of Disaster Management (ODM) tells residents to rely on MDS for official weather information, through meteosxm.com or its Facebook page, facebook.com/sxmweather.
The radar on the MDS home page carries a test notice saying its information "might be outdated", so don't rely on it.
French side: Météo-France vigilance
Météo-France publishes a vigilance bulletin for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy at meteofrance.gp. It covers four types of danger: violent winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms, waves and coastal flooding, and cyclones.
The cyclone danger is only used when strong tropical storm or hurricane conditions are observed or forecast. Météo-France gives typical lead times for each cyclone level of 48 to 72 hours, 24 to 36 hours, and 6 to 18 hours. For a major cyclone impact, there are two further colours with the instruction "Confinez-vous", meaning stay sheltered.
Regional: US National Hurricane Center (NHC)
The NHC issues tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for the region's non-French islands. As Météo-France explains them, a watch means conditions are possible within 48 hours, and a warning means they are expected within 36 hours. Its website is nhc.noaa.gov.
When to check
These services are online and run 24/7 during weather events. Neither MDS nor Météo-France publishes walk-in hours.
Sources
- https://www.meteosxm.com/
- https://meteofrance.gp/fr/vigilance/saint-martin-saint-barthelemy
- https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/R70168
- https://www1.sintmaartengov.org/odm-forecasters-continue-to-favor-below-normal-storm-activity-remain-vigilant/
- https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Source: https://www.meteosxm.com/