SPI Monitor September 2016

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September 2016

Normal to above normal rainfall was experienced in the eastern Caribbean and the Guianas for the month. Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Dominica, St. Kitts, Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and St. Croix were normal; Barbados very wet; St. Vincent, Martinique and Antigua moderately wet; St. Lucia extremely wet; and the Guianas ranging from normal in northwest Guyana and French Guiana to exceptionally wet in eastern Guyana and western Suriname. Puerto Rico was normal. The Dominican Republic ranged from exceptionally dry in the west to normal in the east. Central Jamaica was moderately dry becoming normal to the east and moderately wet to the west. Grand Cayman was severely dry. Apart from being slightly wet in the west, Cuba was normal. Conditions in Belize ranged from normal in the south to moderately dry further north.

July to September 2016

spi-3-2016-9

For the three month period, mixed conditions were experienced in the islands of the eastern Caribbean. Trinidad was slight to moderately dry; Tobago extremely dry; Grenada, Barbados, St Vincent, and St Croix normal; St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Maarten slightly dry; Martinique and Antigua moderately wet; St Kitts and St. Thomas slightly wet. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from slightly dry to exceptionally wet. Puerto Rico was normal but conditions in the Dominican Republic ranged from severely dry in the west to slightly wet in the east. Jamaica was predominantly normal, but Grand Cayman severely dry. Normal to above rainfall was experienced in western Cuba, but normal to below normal rainfall in the east. Conditions in Belize ranged from normal in the south to moderately dry further north.

April to September 2016

spi-6-2016-9

Mixed conditions were experienced in the islands of the eastern Caribbean for the six month period. Trinidad, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and St. Croix were normal; Tobago and St. Maarten moderately dry; Grenada normal to slightly wet; and Martinique and Antigua slightly wet. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from normal to exceptionally wet. Puerto Rico was moderately wet in the west and slightly wet in the east, while the Dominican Republic ranged from moderately dry in the southwest to moderately wet in the east. Western Jamaica and its eastern tip were normal and varied to severely dry in central areas, but Grand Cayman was exceptionally dry. Cuba was predominantly normal, apart from western areas that ranged from slight to very wet. Conditions in Belize ranged from moderately dry in the west to normal in the north, east and south.

October 2015 to September 2016

spi-12-2016-9

Mixed rainfall conditions were experienced in the islands of the eastern Caribbean for the twelve month period. Trinidad was slight to moderately dry; Tobago and St. Lucia severely dry; Barbados and St. Vincent moderately dry; Martinique normal to slightly wet; Antigua and St. Croix normal; and St. Maarten extremely dry. Conditions in the Guianas ranged from moderately dry to moderately wet (particularly in the west). Puerto Rico was normal, and the Dominican Republic predominantly so apart from in the extreme southwest. Western Jamaica and its eastern tip were normal and varied to extremely dry in central areas, but Grand Cayman was moderately dry. Cuba experienced normal to moderately wet conditions, while Belize was predominantly normal.

 

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.

The maps produced used SPI values calculated from monthly rainfall totals from land stations and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. Only land station data is used for the eastern Caribbean, described here as from Georgetown, Guyana in the south to Anguilla in the north. The Greater (and Western) Antilles is less represented by land stations. However efforts are being made to include more land stations from that part of the region. Note that the severity implied by the index is relative to what is normal for that period of consideration. Normal in the drier season reflects less rainfall than in the wetter season.