SPI Monitor March 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

March 2011

The eastern portion of the chain was predominantly normal to wet apart from Barbados that was abnormally dry. Trinidad, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Anguilla were normal. Antigua was abnormally wet, whilst Tobago and Grenada were moderately wet. St. Vincent and Dominica were both very wet. Guyana was extremely to exceptionally wet. Puerto Rico had normal rainfall, but conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from normal in the west to moderately dry in the east. Jamaica was moderately wet and Cayman Islands and Belize normal.

January 2011 to March 2011

Apart from Anguilla that was abnormally dry, the eastern portion of the chain was normal to wet for the three month period. Trinidad was extremely to exceptionally wet whilst Tobago, Grenada and St. Vincent were extremely wet. Barbados experienced abnormally wet conditions, whilst Dominica was moderately wet. Conditions in St. Lucia and Antigua were normal, and St. Kitts and Anguilla abnormally dry. Conditions in Guyana ranged from Moderate to exceptionally wet. Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were normal for the period. Cayman Islands and Belize were moderately dry.

October 2010 to March 2011

For the six month period, the eastern Caribbean was divided into a normal north (apart from St. Kitts that was moderately wet) and a wetter than normal south. Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada were moderately wet. Barbados and St. Vincent were extremely wet, whilst St. Lucia was exceptionally wet. Dominica, Antigua and Anguilla were normal. Conditions in Guyana ranged from moderately wet in the west to exceptionally wet in the east. Puerto Rico was abnormally wet to moderately wet, but in the Dominican Republic the conditions varied from normal to moderately dry. Jamaica was normal and Cayman Islands moderately dry. Conditions in Belize ranged from normal to moderately dry.

April 2010 to March 2011

For the twelve month period there were no drier than normal areas of the Caribbean. Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, St. Vincent and St. Lucia were exceptionally wet. Grenada was extremely wet and Dominica, St. Kitts and Antigua very wet. Conditions in Anguilla were abnormally wet. Conditions in Guyana ranged from abnormally wet in the west to extremely wet in the east. Puerto Rico was extremely to exceptionally wet. Apart from an area in the southwest of the country that was abnormally to moderately wet, the Dominican Republic was normal. Jamaica was moderately wet and Cayman Islands normal. Conditions in Belize ranged from extremely wet in the south to normal in the north.