Residents across the Caribbean are being warned to brace for heavy rains and possible flooding throughout the holiday season as the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology predicts significant risk for inclement weather throughout the month of December.
In an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation, Climatologist Cedric Van Meerbeeck noted that despite the dry season officially beginning on December 1, the month poses a much higher risk for flooding than has been seen in previous years.
Van Meerbeeck, who spoke at the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum, noted that despite heavy rains in December being a diversion from the normal weather patterns for that time of year, it is not unheard of for hurricane-like weather to persist into the month of December.
For example, he noted, in 2013, Christmas Eve in the Eastern Caribbean took a devastating toll when the islands of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were thrashed by a trough, which resulted in widespread flooding, landslides and death.
He noted that the prevailing conditions are likely a result of La Nina, a meteorological phenomenon in which surface temperatures and ocean temperatures are cooler than usual and impact weather patterns associated with the seasonal time scale.
This typically results in higher levels of precipitation in the Caribbean and a stronger end of the Hurricane Season.
While this risk does not come with certainty of which islands will be affected and to what degree, residents are urged to stay abreast with weather reports for their respective areas and to familiarise themselves with the necessary flood preparedness and emergency evacuation measures.