With sections of Jamaica experiencing a water shortage due to the decline in rainfall, forecasters say the dry conditions affecting the Caribbean over the last few months are now expected to continue into September for most of the region.They issued the outlook yesterday
Sheryl Etienne-LeBlanc of the St. Maarten Metrological Department says the June to August period is expected to be drier than usual or close to normal.
Speaking at the opening of the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum she said for September to November, forecasters are expecting above normal conditions in the Greater Antilles, the Leeward Islands, The Bahamas, and Belize.
However, the outlook is drier-than-usual conditions elsewhere in the region.
The wet season in most of the Caribbean coincides with the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs from June to November.
Most models are predicting a hurricane season that is less active than normal.
Etienne-LeBlanc said a weak El Niño continues and this tends to inhibit the formation of tropical cyclones.
El Niño, from its onset, stabilises the atmosphere in the tropics, increasing odds of a drier wet season in much of the Caribbean.
From June to August, temperatures are likely to be as high or higher than in most recent years across the region.
And with lower than normal rainfall predicted, forecasters said heat levels are expected to be higher than in 2018, leading to increased heat stress and heat waves August to October.
Heat waves are likely in eastern and southern Caribbean, especially in September or October, with cooler temperatures expected from November.
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