SPI Monitor February 2011

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

February 2011

In the eastern Caribbean, there is a bit of a contrast between the south and the north, with the south being above normal and the further north being normal to moderately dry. In the south, Trinidad and Guyana were extreme to exceptionally wet, Grenada exceptionally wet, and St. Vincent, Tobago and Barbados were moderate to very wet. St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and Anguilla were normal. However, St. Kitts was moderately dry. Puerto Rico was normal to abnormally wet, whilst the Dominican Republic was abnormal to moderately wet. Further west, Jamaica was normal and the Cayman Islands moderately dry. Conditions in Belize ranged from moderately wet in the southwest to normal in the north.

December 2010 to February 2011

The distinction in rainfall between the wetter-than-normal eastern and drier-than-normal western Caribbean was evident. There was also some distinction in the eastern Caribbean itself, with the south being above normal and the north being predominantly normal. Trinidad and Tobago were very to extremely wet. Grenada, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Barbados moderately wet. Dominica, Antigua and Anguilla were all normal, whilst St. Kitts was abnormally wet. Guyana was normal in the west to moderately wet in the east. Puerto Rico was normal to abnormally wet, but the Dominican Republic was normal in the west to moderately dry in the east. Conditions in Jamaica ranged from moderately dry in the west to moderately wet in the east. Cayman Islands was extremely dry, whilst in Belize conditions ranged from abnormally dry in the south to extremely dry in the north.

September 2010 to February 2011

For the six month period, in the eastern Caribbean, St. Vincent and St. Lucia were exceptionally wet. Grenada and Barbados were extremely wet, whilst Tobago and St. Kitts were moderately wet. Antigua and Anguilla were normal whilst Dominica was abnormally dry. Trinidad was very to extremely wet. Guyana was normal in the north to moderately wet further south. Puerto Rico was moderate to very wet, whilst the Dominican Republic was normal to moderately dry. Jamaica was moderately wet in the west to extremely wet in the east. Cayman Islands was normal. Conditions in Belize ranged from abnormally wet to moderately dry.

March 2010 to February 2011

During this period, the eastern Caribbean was predominantly wetter than normal. Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia were exceptionally wet whilst Grenada was extremely wet.