With the announcement of a wetter-than-normal 2021 wet season by the TT Meteorological Service, citizens are being urged to monitor information from the Met Office and the ODPM to make sure they aren’t caught off guard.
It said there is a new climate normal, as 1981-2010 was the reference for the last ten years. The new reference is the 1991-2020 climate normal representing today’s climate. It said in this new normal, the average rainfall has decreased, but there are an increased number of single day rainfall events, where the frequency remains steady, and 50 millimetres or more of rain fall. It said days which come with unusually very heavy rainfall have increased steadily.
The Met said while the first half of the dry season, June-August, will be drier than normal for the time of year with June being the driest of the three months, this still means there will be substantial rainfall and the potential for flooding remains.
In contrast, September-November are likely to have much more rainfall than normal, with an elevated potential for flooding. It said there will be 106-108 heavy rainfall days and 14-20 heavy rainfall days, with seven-day wet spells being likely.
Climatologist Kenneth Kerr said slightly and moderately heavier than normal flood potential exists for all well-known flood-prone areas and some occasionally flooded areas. Kerr said while floods can’t be prevented, the impact can be reduced.
“At the Met Office, we offer adverse weather and flood warnings. Sometimes these have to be escalated as conditions worsen. They can’t necessarily protect property, sometimes it’s about saving lives. We give long lead times and tell people what to prepare for. We prepare a seasonal flood potential outlook which give people actions to reduce impacts three months, two months, and three weeks ahead. We’re not sure citizens act on this early information but it is out there.
“Slightly and moderately higher than normal flood potential means the chance for high impact flash floods and riverine floods is much elevated. Normal flood potential for most of these areas are usually high, including North-eastern Trinidad, Vega de Oropouche, Penal, Debe, Diego Martin, and Maraval. Citizens living in flood-prone areas are urged to prepare their homes, yards, and immediate vicinity by cleaning canals and drains, and acquiring a working water pump if possible.”
He said the flash flood potential of an areas is determined by looking at the area and time of year, then multiplying this by the flood susceptibility of the area, then multiplied by where there are exposed lives, livelihoods and assets.
[caption id="attachment_891364" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A man shelters under an umbrella during heavy rainfall on High Street, San Fernando in November last year. - CHEQUANA WHEELER[/caption]
The Met Office said both day and night temperatures are expected to be much warmer than average during the wet season. It said a few hot days, with maximum temperatures greater than or equal to 34 degrees Celsius, and one or two
