SPI Monitor December 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

December 2010

The majority of the eastern Caribbean, including Guyana, was near normal. The exceptions to this were Barbados that was moderately wet and St Kitts that was very wet. Conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from normal in the west to severely dry in the east, whilst Jamaica was normal in the west to very wet in the east. Cayman Islands was normal, whilst Belize was moderately dry in the south and normal in the north.

October 2009 to December 2010

For the three month period, conditions in the eastern Caribbean were varied. Trinidad, Grenada, Antigua and Anguilla were normal; whilst Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Kitts were very wet and Dominica moderately dry. St. Lucia was extremely wet. Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cayman islands and Belize were all normal.

July 2009 to December 2010

As with the three month period, conditions in the eastern Caribbean were varied for this period. Dominica and Anguilla were normal; whilst Grenada and Antigua were moderately wet, and Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and St. Kitts extremely wet. Trinidad was moderately wet in the west and normal in the east. Guyana was predominantly normal apart from the eastern and western outskirts that were moderately wet; so too was the Dominican Republic apart from the southern perimeter. Jamaica was very wet in the west and moderately wet in the east, whilst Cayman Islands was normal. Belize was predominantly normal.

January 2009 to December 2010

Even though the year began with severe drought conditions in the eastern Caribbean and Guyana particularly, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and St. Kitts ended up extremely wet for the year. Dominica and Antigua were moderately wet, whilst Grenada and Anguilla were normal. Trinidad was moderately wet in the west and normal in the east. Guyana, the Dominican Republic and Cayman Islands were normal for the year. Jamaica was very wet in the west and moderately wet in the east, whilst Belize was predominantly normal.