SPI Monitor May 2021

May 2021

Mixed conditions were seen throughout the islands of the eastern Caribbean during the month of May. Trinidad extremely wet to normal west to east; Tobago slight to moderately wet; Grenada extreme to very wet; Barbados, St Maarten and St Croix normal to slightly dry; St Vincent, and St Thomas normal; Saint Lucia slight to moderately dry; Martinique moderate to extremely dry; Dominica severe to extremely dry; Guadeloupe severe to exceptionally dry west to east; Antigua severely dry; St Kitts moderately dry and Anguilla normal to slightly wet. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from slightly dry in northeastern Suriname to exceptionally wet in northern areas of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Aruba and curacao were normal. Puerto Rico ranged from moderately wet to normal. Hispaniola was predominantly normal with slightly dry conditions in extreme southern areas and slightly wet conditions in east central Dominican Republic. Jamaica ranged from normal in central areas to exceptionally dry in the west and to severely dry in the extreme southeast. Grand Cayman was slightly wet. Cuba ranged from moderately dry in west central areas to moderately wet in the east. Northern Bahamas ranged from normal to moderately dry. Belize was predominantly normal ranging to moderately wet in southern and eastern areas, and to slightly dry in the north.

March to May 2021

The islands of the eastern Caribbean experienced mixed conditions over the three month period. Trinidad exceptional to moderately wet west to east; Tobago moderately wet; Grenada extreme to moderately wet; Barbados slightly dry; St Vincent, Saint Lucia and St Thomas normal; Martinique slight to severely dry; Dominica normal to moderately dry; Guadeloupe normal to extremely dry; Antigua severely dry; St Kitts moderate to severely dry; St Maarten normal to severely dry; Anguilla normal to slightly wet; St Croix moderate to slightly dry south to north.  Conditions in the Guianas ranged from normal to exceptionally wet. Aruba was normal and Curacao moderately wet. Puerto Rico ranged from moderately wet in the northwest to slightly dry in the east. Hispaniola was slightly wetin  the northwest covering most of Haiti, to normal in the east and south covering most of the Dominican Republic.  Jamaica ranged from normal in central areas to extremely dry in the west and to severely dry in the east. Grand Cayman was normal. Cuba ranged from exceptionally dry in west central areas to normal in the east. Northern Bahamas was normal to extremely dry and Belize was predominantly normal ranging to moderately wet in central areas, slightly wet in the south and moderately dry in the west.

December 2020 to May 2021

Conditions were mixed over the six month period throughout the eastern Caribbean. Trinidad extremely wet to normal; Tobago, Barbados and St Vincent normal; Grenada moderate to slightly wet south to north; Saint Lucia and St Thomas predominantly normal with slightly dry conditions in some areas; Martinique moderately dry; Dominica moderate to slightly dry; Guadeloupe slight to extremely dry; Antigua extreme to exceptionally dry; St Kitts moderate to extremely dry; St Maarten extremely dry in the south to normal in the north; Anguilla slightly dry to slightly wet south to north and St Croix severe to moderately dry. In the Guianas conditions ranged from normal to exceptionally wet, with a small area to the north experiencing below normal rainfall. Aruba was normal and Curacao slightly wet. Puerto Rico ranged from normal to moderately dry west to east.  Hispaniola was predominantly normal ranging to slightly wet conditions on the central Haiti/Dominican Republic border and to severely dry in the extreme southern areas.  Jamaica was normal in central areas ranging to severely dry in the west and east. Grand Cayman was normal. Cuba ranged from exceptionally dry in west central areas to normal in the east. Northern Bahamas ranged from normal to exceptionally dry, and Belize ranged from moderately dry in the southwest to moderately wet in the north.

June 2020 to May 2021

The eastern Caribbean experienced mixed conditions over the twelve month period. Trinidad extremely wet to normal; Tobago, Grenada, St Vincent, Antigua, Anguilla and St Thomas normal; Barbados moderate to slightly wet; Saint Lucia, Guadeloupe and St Maarten  normal to slightly dry; Martinique normal to severely dry; Dominica severely dry to slightly wet; St Kitts slight to moderately dry and St Croix severe to moderately dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from slight to exceptionally wet.  Aruba was normal and Curacao moderate to slightly wet. Puerto Rico was predominantly normal ranging to slightly wet in the northwest. Hispaniola was predominantly normal ranging to slightly wet in northwestern Haiti and to severely dry in the extreme southern tip of the Dominican Republic. Jamaica ranged from very wet in the extreme south to moderately dry in the west and to slightly dry in the northeast. Grand Cayman was moderately wet. Cuba ranged from moderately wet to normal. Northern Bahamas ranged from normal to very wet, and Belize ranged from severely dry in southern areas to exceptionally wet in the north.

June 2019 to May 2021

Over the two year period conditions throughout the eastern Caribbean were predominantly normal to below normal. Trinidad and Tobago normal to moderately dry; Grenada and St Thomas normal; Barbados, St Vincent and St Kitts slight to moderately dry; Saint Lucia severe to exceptionally dry; Martinique extreme to slightly dry; Dominica severely dry to normal; Guadeloupe normal to exceptionally dry; Antigua and St Maarten normal to slightly dry; Anguilla normal to slightly wet and St Croix severe to moderately dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from normal to exceptionally wet. Aruba and Curacao were normal. Puerto Rico ranged from severely dry in the extreme southwest to slightly wet in the northeast. Hispaniola ranged from normal in northern and central areas of Haiti to exceptionally dry in central areas of the Dominican Republic.  Jamaica was predominantly normal ranging to moderately dry in the extreme west. Grand Cayman was moderate to slightly dry. Cuba ranged from slightly dry in west central areas to moderately wet in the extreme west and north. Northern Bahamas ranged from exceptionally wet to extremely dry, and Belize ranged from exceptionally dry in the west to normal in most of the northern half of the country.

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.

 

SPI Change May 2021