SPI Monitor December 2019

December 2019

Mixed conditions were seen throughout the islands of the eastern Caribbean in the month of December. Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada and Antigua were normal; St Vincent slightly dry; St Lucia and St Croix normal to slightly dry; Barbados slight to moderately dry from north to south; Martinique predominantly normal with the exception of the extreme northern border which was slight to moderately wet; Dominica slight to exceptionally wet from the north east to the south west; Guadeloupe normal to very wet from east to west; St Kitts and St Maarten slight to moderately wet; and St Thomas very wet. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from slightly dry in northwest and northeast Guyana to extremely wet in southern Guyana and to exceptionally wet in south-eastern French Guiana. Curacao was normal. Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Jamaica were normal to moderately wet, Grand Cayman was normal, while Cuba was predominantly normal with the exception of the extreme northwest that was slightly wet and some east central areas which were slight to moderately dry. Northern Bahamas was moderate to very wet. Belize, though mostly normal, was slightly wet in the east and slight to severely dry on the western border.

October to December 2019

Over the three month period, conditions in the eastern Caribbean were normal to below normal. Trinidad was normal to moderately dry from the south west to the north east; Tobago, Anguilla, St Maarten, and Dominica normal; Grenada, Martinique and St. Thomas normal to slightly dry; St Vincent and St. Croix severely dry; Barbados, St Lucia and Guadeloupe moderate to extremely dry; St Kitts slight to moderately dry from south to north, Conditions in the Guianas ranged from severely dry in the northern extreme of Guyana to extremely wet in the southern extreme of Guyana and central French Guiana. Curacao was moderately dry.  Puerto Rico was normal in the extreme north west to moderately dry in the south east , whereas Hispaniola was moderately dry in central Dominican Republic to normal in eastern Dominican Republic and most of Haiti. Jamaica was moderately dry in the northwest to normal in the west and east, whereas Grand Cayman normal. Cuba ranged from moderately dry in west central areas to slightly wet in the west and normal in the east. Northern Bahamas was normal to very wet from south to north. In Belize, conditions ranged from moderately wet in the south to slightly dry in the north and west.

July to December 2019

Rainfall over the six month period in the eastern Caribbean was normal to below normal for the greater part. Trinidad was normal to severely dry; Tobago, Grenada, Dominica, and St Kitts normal to slightly dry; St Vincent extreme to exceptionally dry; Barbados severe to exceptionally dry from north to south; St Lucia moderate to extremely dry; Martinique normal in the south to moderately dry in the north; Guadeloupe normal in the west to exceptionally dry in the east;, Antigua, Anguilla and St Maarten were normal; St Croix was severe to extremely dry; and St Thomas slightly wet. In the Guianas, conditions mainly ranged from normal to exceptionally wet, with the exception of a slightly dry area in the extreme north of Guyana and slight to moderately dry conditions at the northern Suriname/French Guiana border. Curacao was moderately dry. Puerto Rico was predominantly normal, with the exception of the extreme south-western border which was slightly dry. Hispaniola ranged from normal over most of Haiti to exceptionally dry in east-central Dominican Republic. Jamaica was normal to moderately dry, whereas Grand Cayman was extremely dry.   Conditions in Cuba were normal to moderately wet from the central areas to the east, and to the west, with the exception of slightly dry conditions in the west-central area. Northern Bahamas ranged from very wet to extremely dry. Belize ranged from slightly dry in the south to exceptionally dry in the north.

January to December 2019

Rainfall in the eastern Caribbean over the twelve month period was normal to below normal. Trinidad ranged from moderately dry in the extreme south east to extremely dry in the North West; Tobago was normal in the west to moderately dry in the east; Grenada and St Thomas were slightly dry; St Vincent, Martinique and St Kitts moderate to severely; Barbados extreme to exceptionally dry; St Lucia exceptionally dry; Dominica slight to severely dry from north to south; Guadeloupe normal in the west to exceptionally dry in the east; Antigua normal; St Maarten slight to moderately dry from west to east; and St Croix severely dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from extremely wet in central Guyana to exceptionally dry in the extreme northeast of French Guiana. Curacao was severe to extremely dry. Puerto Rico ranged from severely dry in the west to slightly dry in the east. Conditions in Hispaniola ranged from slightly dry in south-western Dominican Republic to exceptionally dry in western Haiti, and to extremely dry in the eastern, southern and northern areas. Jamaica ranged from slightly wet in the west to slightly dry in central and eastern areas, whereas, Grand Cayman was slight to moderately dry. Cuba was normal in central areas to very wet in the west and to exceptionally dry in the east. Northern Bahamas ranged from very wet in the south to extremely dry in the north, whereas conditions in Belize were from normal in the extreme south to exceptionally dry north.

January 2018 to December 2019

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.