SPI Monitor March 2010

Disclaimer

The information contained herein is provided with the understanding that The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or suitability of the Outlook. The information may be used freely by the public with appropriate acknowledgement of its source, but shall not be modified in content and then presented as original material.

Discussion

March 2011

In March 2010, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada were moderately to severely below normal. The remainder of the eastern portion of the region, except St. Kitts, was normal according to the index albeit on the negative end of normal. St. Kitts was very wet. The Dominican Republic was moderately dry in the east and normal (on the negative end) in the west. Further to the West, Jamaica was normal to moderately wet, Cayman Islands were normal to moderately dry whilst Belize was moderately wet in the north to severely dry in the south west.

January 2010 to March 2010

The majority of the eastern Caribbean was severely to extremely dry. Guyana ranged from normal in the west to extremely dry in the east. St. Lucia, Antigua and Anguilla were moderately dry whilst St. Kitts was normal. The Dominican Republic ranged from normal in the west to moderately dry in the east. Further to the west, Jamaica and Cayman were normal whilst Belize was normal apart from the western portion, which was moderately dry.

October 2009 to March 2010

For the six month period, From Trinidad in the south to Dominica further north experienced severely to extremely dry conditions. Antigua was moderately dry whilst St. Kitts and Anguilla were normal. Guyana ranged from normal in the west to extremely dry in the east. The Dominican Republic experienced normal conditions in the west and moderately dry conditions in the east. Both Jamaica and Cayman Islands were normal for this period. Belize was normal apart from the western portion of the country.

April 2009 to March 2010

For this period, Trinidad and Grenada were severely to extremely dry. The remainder of the eastern portion of the island chain was normal. Guyana ranged from normal to the north to extremely dry going south eastward. The western Caribbean, including Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Belize, was normal. Hispaniola was mostly normal apart from the northeast portion of the Dominican Republic.

The maps produced used SPI values calculated from monthly rainfall totals from land stations and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Only land station data is used for the eastern Caribbean , described here as from Georgetown Guyana in the south to Anguilla in the north. The Greater (and Western) Antilles is less represented by land stations. However efforts are being made to include more land stations from that part of the region. Note that the severity implied by the index is relative to what is normal for that period of consideration. Normal in the drier season reflects less rainfall than in the wetter season.