Forecasters predict ease in drought as region enters wet season

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados-based Caribbean Drought and Precipitation Monitoring Network Friday said that as the region enters the wet season, it is expected that rainfall will increase and ease the drought situation in several regional countries.

In its latest bulletin, the agency says that parts of the region have been experiencing drought particularly the southern portion of the eastern chain and parts of Belize.

It said that relief from the impact may not be realised until after June.

“However, with above normal rainfall expected over most of the Caribbean from July/August, drought concerns would greatly diminish with the southern islands of the eastern Caribbean and Belize still having to be watchful,” it said.

The agency says that for the first three months of this year, mixed conditions prevailed throughout the eastern Caribbean.

It says Trinidad ranged from extremely dry in the extreme southwest to normal in the northeast with Tobago and Dominica experiencing normal to slightly dry while in Grenada, it was normal to slightly wet and Barbados slightly dry.

It says that St Vincent and the Grenadines, which earlier this week urged residents to pray for rain to deal with the drought situation, was moderately dry during the first three months, while St Lucia and Martinique recorded moderate to severely dry conditions.

Guadeloupe very wet in the west to moderately dry in the east with St Kitts slight to moderately wet, while Antigua, St Maarten, Anguilla, St Croix and St Thomas recorded normal conditions.

In the Guianas, conditions ranged from exceptionally dry in north eastern Guyana to slightly wet in north eastern French Guiana.

“Jamaica ranged from severely dry in the extreme south to normal in the north. Grand Cayman was exceptionally dry. Cuba ranged from exceptionally dry in central areas to moderately dry in the west and to normal in the southeast. Northern Bahamas ranged from normal to moderately dry and Belize from normal in the south east to exceptionally dry in the north east,” the agency added.