SPI Monitor April 2014
Discussion
April 2014
Apart from St. Croix that was moderately wet, the islands of the eastern Caribbean were normal to below normal for April 2014. Trinidad, Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Maarten were normal; Barbados and St. Vincent moderately dry; and Anguilla abnormally dry. Rainfall in Guyana ranged from very wet in the west to normal in the east. Puerto Rico was normal and Jamaica predominantly so apart from the extreme west that was abnormally wet. In Cuba the west was normal to moderately dry, the east normal to moderately wet, while central areas were normal. Grand Cayman was moderately wet while Belize was dry except for the extreme north that was abnormally dry.
February 2014 to April 2014
For the three month period, apart from Grenada and St. Croix that were abnormally wet, the islands of the Caribbean were normal to below normal. Trinidad, St. Vincent, Dominica, and St. Kitts were abnormally dry; Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia normal; Anguilla and St. Maarten moderately dry. Guyana was abnormally wet in the west and normal in the east. Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Grand Cayman were normal; while Cuba was normal in the west and abnormal to moderately wet in the east. Conditions in Belize ranged from extremely dry in the west to severely wet in the south and abnormally wet in the north.
November 2013 to April 2014
Mixed conditions were experienced for the six month period in the eastern Caribbean islands. Trinidad and Grenada were abnormal to moderately wet; Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Maarten normal; St. Lucia, Anguilla and St. Croix abnormally wet; Dominica moderately dry. Conditions in Guyana ranged from moderately wet in the west to abnormally wet in the east. Puerto Rico was abnormally wet in the west and abnormally wet in the east; but Cuba ranged from exceptionally wet in the west to normal in the east. Jamaica was normal but Grand Cayman moderately wet. Rainfall ranged from extremely wet in the west to moderately wet outward.
May 2013 to April 2014
Though conditions were mixed, the majority of the eastern Caribbean islands were normal. Trinidad was largely abnormal to moderately wet; Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, Anguilla and St. Maarten were normal; Grenada and St. Kitts abnormally dry; St. Croix moderately wet. Guyana was very wet in the west and moderately wet in the east, but Puerto Rico was exceptionally wet. Jamaica was abnormally dry in the west and normal in the east, while Grand Cayman was abnormally wet. Conditions in the western areas of Cuba ranged from exceptionally wet to normal, while the east was from normal to extremely dry, and central areas normal to abnormally wet. Rainfall in Belize ranged from exceptionally wet in the west to moderately wet in the south and to extremely wet in the north.
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.
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.
