C’bean countries warned rainfall ‘deficit’ still possible despite wet season

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) says rainfall deficits is still possible despite the increasing rainfall and that concerns exist for parts of the eastern Caribbean and Belize.

In its August newsletter released here on Monday, CariCOF said rainfall will continue to increase across the region augmenting water resources.

“It is likely that parts of Belize, particularly in the northwest, can still have concerns over short term drought that can impact agricultural production and small rivers, streams and ponds. With rainfall deficits still possible despite the increasing rainfall, concerns exist for parts of the eastern Caribbean and Belize over long term drought that can impact rivers and reservoirs by the end of the wet season at the end of November,” CariCOF said, adding “this raises some initial concerns over water availability entering the 2019/2020 dry season”.

CariCOF said that last month, apart from St Vincent that was moderately wet, rainfall in the islands of the eastern Caribbean was normal to below normal.

It said Trinidad, St Lucia and Dominica were normal to moderately dry; Tobago and St Croix moderately dry; Grenada and Guadeloupe normal, while Barbados, Antigua and St Kitts slight to moderately dry.

Read more at: Jamaica Observer

Source: CARICOM TODAY