High temperatures not a good sign

With an above-average Atlantic Hurricane Season predicted for 2021, a leading hurricane expert is warning that the current warm temperatures in the Caribbean Sea are not normal for this time of the year.

Meteorologist Dr Athena Masson, who is based in the United States, said since April 2021, experts started recording sea surface temperatures of 80 degrees, which she said should not be happening until June.

“We have been seeing temperatures hitting 80-degree marks during late April and that’s not normal. We generally do see this in April in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico, which should be in the mid-70s, not hitting that 80-degree mark. Not good for us,” Dr Masson said.

The meteorologist issued the warning as she delivered remarks during today’s discussion on the Caribbean’s state of readiness for the 2021 Hurricane Season. She reminded her audience that with 13 to 20 named storms being predicted for this hurricane season, every storm or hurricane can cause its own destruction despite the category. This, at a time when COVID-19 continues to pose a danger.

She said because hurricanes are attracted to the warm temperatures in the Caribbean Sea, it is important that the region is fully prepared even before the systems are formed.

“When that hurricane is tracking towards you it gets so difficult to prepare at that time. There are no resources, there is water, bread, non-perishable items, everyone is trying to find shelter. You need to be reviewing your hurricane plans now, where will you go in the event of a hurricane, what roads are you going to be taking, where are your neighbours? And that is the best advice that I can give at this time. You need to be preparing right now. Hurricane season is five days ago. A tropical cyclone can happen at any time,” she said.

Dr Masson said while the hurricane season is fast approaching and travellers should be cautious about where they decide to visit during the season, it is important for the tourism industry in the Caribbean, which is struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to see an influx of visitors.

However, the meteorologist said travellers need to be prepared and safe, but should also be mindful that if a hurricane hits one place in the Caribbean, it is not necessarily a reflection of what is happening across the entire region.

Dr Masson said: “The Caribbean is a very large, massive place. You have your Lesser Antilles all the way out towards the east. You have your Greater Antilles to the north and out to the west. Just because a hurricane is heading towards the Caribbean and maybe turns north it doesn’t mean that Cuba or Jamaica is going to be impacted. Maybe it’s Puerto Rico.

“Not all the Caribbean islands are prone to hurricanes. If you want to avoid tropical cyclone activities, very rarely does it occur in Aruba, Trinidad and Grenada because they are very close to South America and the equator and not a lot of tropical cyclones go through there and if they do they are very weak.”

She also indicated that a recent study has indicated that countries in the Lesser Antilles, including Puerto Rico, parts of Jamaica and the western part of Cuba have a 42 per cent chance of being impacted by tropical storms annually and a 14 per cent chance of being impacted by a hurricane.

“And with major hurricanes, it’s a four per cent chance each year which is one of the highest in all of the Atlantic. Bermuda tops it just by two more per cent. And we have seen this in 2016, 2017, even Dorian in 2019. It happens frequently,” she said. (anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb)