SPI Monitor October 2012

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.

*Please note that from February 2012, the SPI calculations are relative to years 1961-2010*

 

Discussion

October 2012

Conditions were very diverse in the eastern Caribbean islands for October. Trinidad and Barbados were moderately dry; Grenada extremely dry; Tobago, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Dominica normal; Antigua very wet; St. Kitts exceptionally wet; Anguilla and St. Croix abnormally dry. Conditions in Guyana ranged from exceptionally wet in the north to moderately dry in the east. Puerto Rico was normal but the Dominican Republic ranged from very to exceptionally wet. Jamaica was abnormally wet in the west and moderately wet in the east. Rainfall in Cuba ranged from normal to moderately wet. Cayman Islands was moderately wet and Belize normal.

August 2012 to October 2012

Apart from Barbados that was abnormally wet, the eastern Caribbean and Guyana were normal to below normal for the three month period. Trinidad and Grenada were moderately dry; Tobago, Dominica, St. Croix and Anguilla abnormally dry; St. Vincent extremely dry; Antigua severely dry; St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Guyana normal. Puerto Rico was normal, while the Dominican Republic was abnormally wet in the west and normal in the remainder of the country. Conditions in Jamaica ranged from moderately dry in the west to moderately wet in the east. Apart from the central region that was moderately wet, Cuba was generally normal to abnormally wet. Cayman Islands was normal. Conditions in Belize were extremely dry in the west and exceptionally dry in the east.

May 2012 to October 2012

Conditions in the eastern Caribbean islands were diverse for the six month period. Trinidad, Tobago, St. Lucia and Antigua were normal; Grenada and St. Croix moderately dry; St. Vincent, Dominica and Anguilla abnormally dry; and St. Kitts very wet. Guyana was normal to abnormally dry. Puerto Rico was normal in the west and abnormally dry in the east while the Dominican Republic was abnormally wet in the west and normal in the east. Conditions in Jamaica ranged from abnormally dry in the west to abnormally wet in the east. Cuban rainfall amounts ranged predominantly from normal to moderately wet while Cayman Islands was normal. Conditions in Belize ranged from moderately dry in the west to moderately wet in the north.

November 2011 to October 2012

For the twelve month period, apart from St. Croix that was moderately dry, rainfall in the eastern Caribbean and Guyana was normal to above normal. Trinidad was abnormal to moderately wet; Tobago very wet; Grenada, St. Vincent and Dominica normal; Barbados moderately wet; St. Lucia and Antigua abnormally wet; St. Kitts extremely wet; and Guyana moderately wet in the north to normal further to the south. Puerto Rico was moderate to abnormally wet while rainfall in the Dominica Republic ranged from moderately wet in the north to extremely wet in the south. Jamaica was predominantly normal but Cayman Islands abnormally wet. Conditions in Cuba was predominantly normal to moderately wet while Belize ranged from abnormally dry in the west to abnormally dry in the north.