BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) said yesterday that drought conditions in the Caribbean will continue in several countries from July to September this year.

In its latest Caribbean Climate Outlooks publication, the CIMH said that the situation is due in part to a weak El Niño.

It said Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao (ABC Islands), Belize, and the Lesser Antilles will continue to experience drought situations and that “a progressive increase in wet spells are expected throughout the region, however, possibly fewer than in most wet seasons.

“The spells may bring some level of drought relief, but also concern for flooding. Peak heat stress will likely be experienced between August and September, especially during heatwaves. Episodes of Saharan dust incursion are expected,” the CIMH reported.

It said that as of June 1, severe, or worse, drought has developed in northern Belize, eastern extremities of Cuba, coastal French Guiana, the northern Leewards, western parts of Trinidad on the short term, and in Barbados, southern Belize, southernmost Dominican Republic, French Guiana, south-western Haiti, and Martinique and Trinidad on the long term.

According to the CIMH, during the period October to December, indications are that drought in affected areas may lessen with favourable rains forecasted for the last three months of 2019 in the Caribbean, which may be wetter than usual in the ABC Islands, Belize, Cayman, Hispaniola, and eastern Greater Antilles, but possibly drier than usual in Suriname and French Guiana.