SPI Monitor September 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

September 2011

This month the conditions in the Caribbean were closer to near-normal, with a few exceptions. In the eastern Caribbean, Tobago, St. Lucia and Antigua were near-normal; St. Vincent, Barbados, St. Kitts and Anguilla moderately wet; Grenada very wet ; St. Croix moderately dry; Dominica normal to abnormally dry; and Trinidad and Puerto Rico normal to moderately wet. From west to east in Guyana, conditions ranged from normal to moderately dry. Conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from moderately dry in the west becoming normal toward the north, east and south. Further to the west, Jamaica was generally near-normal and Cayman Islands moderately dry. In Belize, the south and north of the country were wetter: up to moderate to very wet conditions. The remainder of Belize was near-normal.

July 2011 to September 2011

Apart from Tobago that was moderately dry and Trinidad normal, the eastern Caribbean had above normal rainfall for the three month period. Grenada and Barbados were abnormally wet; St. Vincent extremely wet; St. Vincent, Antigua, St. Kitts and Anguilla extremely wet, and St. Lucia and St. Croix moderately wet. Conditions in Guyana ranged from normal in the west to moderately dry in the east. Puerto Rico was exceptionally wet, whilst conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from normal in the west to very wet in the east. Jamaica experienced very wet conditions in the extreme west but this changed to normal toward the east. Cayman Islands was normal, but in Belize the rainfall experienced ranged from normal in the south to moderately wet in the north.

April 2011 to September 2011

For the six month period, there was a clear distinction between the north and south of the eastern Caribbean. In the south, Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada were normal. However, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua and Anguilla were all extremely wet. St. Kitts was very wet, whilst St. Croix was abnormally wet. Conditions ranged from normal in the west to severely dry in the east. Contrastingly, Puerto Rico was exceptionally wet. Both the Dominican Republic and Jamaica were largely moderately wet. Cayman Islands was severely dry and Belize normal.

October 2010 to September 2011

Rainfall in the eastern Caribbean islands was above normal for the twelve month period. Trinidad, Anguilla and St Croix were moderately wet; Tobago abnormally wet; Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and St. Kitts very wet; and Barbados and St. Lucia extremely wet. Guyana was predominantly normal. Puerto Rico rainfall was extreme to exceptionally wet, whilst the conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from normal in the north to moderately wet in the south west. Jamaica was predominantly abnormally wet, but in the west there were areas of normal rainfall. Cayman Islands was extremely dry, but Belize was normal in the south and below normal in the north.