SPI Monitor March 2019

March 2019

Conditions were mixed in the eastern Caribbean for the month of March. Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Antigua and St. Thomas were all normal or predominantly so; Barbados normal to slightly wet; St. Vincent very to extremely wet; Martinique slight to moderately dry; Dominica moderately dry; Guadeloupe slightly dry St. Kitts moderate to severely dry; St. Maarten severely dry; and St. Croix severe to extremely dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from exceptionally dry in parts of southern Guyana and much of French Guiana to normal in northeastern Guyana. Aruba was slightly dry, but Curacao slight to moderately wet. Puerto Rico was normal to slightly dry, but Hispaniola ranged from normal in the west, south and east to very wet in north-western Dominican Republic. Jamaica was predominantly normal, with above normal rainfall in the southern and western extremities, and below normal in the norther extremities, but Grand Cayman was normal. Northern Bahamas was normal to moderately dry, while Belize was predominantly normal apart from the extreme north that was slightly dry and the extreme south that was slightly wet.

January to March 2019

For the three month period, normal to below normal rainfall was experienced in the islands of the Caribbean. Trinidad was slight to severely dry; Tobago and Antigua moderately dry; Grenada slightly dry; Barbados severe to extremely dry; St. Vincent and Guadeloupe normal to slightly dry; St. Lucia and St. Kitts moderate to severely dry; Martinique extreme to exceptionally dry; St. Maarten severely dry; St. Croix severe to extremely dry; and St. Thomas normal. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from exceptionally dry in northern Guyana and much of French Guiana to normal in northeastern and southern Guyana and western Suriname. Aruba was exceptionally dry, but Curacao moderately dry. Puerto was moderately dry to normal from northwest to southeast, but Hispaniola from slightly wet in the north to severely dry in eastern Dominican Republic and to slightly dry in southwest Haiti. Conditions in Jamaica ranged from moderately wet in the west to slightly dry in the north, but Grand Cayman very wet. Northern Bahamas was normal to moderately wet and Belize from severely dry in the east to normal to the north and south.

October 2018 to March 2019

Apart from Guadeloupe that was normal to moderately wet, rainfall in the islands of the eastern Caribbean was normal to below normal for the six month period. Trinidad was normal to moderately dry from south to north; Tobago, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten; Barbados severe to extremely dry; St. Vincent and St. Thomas normal; Martinique severely dry; Antigua slightly dry; and St. Croix moderately dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from exceptionally dry in northern Guyana and parts of French Guiana to normal in eastern and southern Guyana and western Suriname. Aruba was normal to slightly dry and Curacao were normal. Puerto Rico ranged from extremely dry in the northwest to normal in the southeast, but Hispaniola from normal in northern Haiti to exceptionally dry in the east. In Jamaica conditions ranged from moderately wet in the west and southwest to moderately dry in the east and slightly dry in the north, but in Grand Cayman slightly dry. Northern Bahamas was predominantly normal, but Belize from moderately dry in the southeast to normal in the northwest and extreme south.

April 2018 to March 2019

Normal to below normal rainfall was experienced in the islands of eastern Caribbean for the twelve month period. Trinidad was slightly wet to extremely dry; Tobago slight to extremely dry; Grenada and St. Kitts slightly dry; Barbados severe to extremely dry; St. Vincent, Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Croix moderately dry; St. Lucia and Martinique moderate to severely dry; Dominica and Guadeloupe normal to moderately dry; and St. Thomas normal. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from moderately dry in northern Guyana, eastern Suriname and parts of French Guiana to moderately wet in southern Guyana. Aruba was slight to moderately dry, but Curacao normal. Conditions in Puerto Rico ranged from moderately dry in the north to normal in the south, but Hispaniola was slightly dry in northern Dominican Republic to exceptionally dry in the south and west of the island. Jamaica was predominantly normal apart from the extremities of the southwest that was slight to moderately wet and the north and east that were slight to moderately dry, while Grand Cayman was normal to slightly dry. Northern Bahamas was normal to slightly wet, but Belize from extremely dry in the southeast to normal in the south.

April 2017 to March 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.