OFFICIAL STATEMENT

DECLARATION OF THE START OF THE 2021 RAINY SEASON FOR TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service is officially declaring the start of the 2021 Rainy Season following the passage of a Tropical Wave yesterday, Saturday 22^nd May 2021, which brought moderate rainfall across Trinidad and Tobago. Rainfall activity associated with the passage of a Tropical Wave or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), signals the start of the local Rainy Season each year, since these features will be the mainstay for the next six (6) months in yielding rainfall.

The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service has been tracking the progress of this Tropical Wave across the Atlantic Ocean for the past few days. This wave was embedded in a dry Saharan Dust layer but had sufficient moisture to produce moderate rainfall amounts across Trinidad and Tobago.

An overall above normal wet season is forecasted. The start of the wet season, June to August, is likely to be drier than normal but the concern for flash flooding remains. The months of September to November are likely to receive above normal rainfall amounts, during which the potential for flooding is elevated.

The Hurricane season extends from 1^st June to 30^th November. The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service is estimating that for our area of interest there will most likely be five (5) named storms from a possible range of three (3) to six (6). One (1) of these are most likely to become hurricanes in our area of interest from a range of one (1) to two (2).

The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service wishes to reassure the national community, that in keeping with our mandate, we continue to closely monitor weather conditions in and around Trinidad and Tobago and will continue to advise the general public in a timely manner, about impending adverse weather conditions which are likely to affect our islands.

The public, relevant agencies and ministries are advised to adopt measures to mitigate the potential impacts of the Rainy Season. Visit our website for daily weather forecasts updates, which are available on a scheduled basis at 6 am, 10 am, and 4 pm and for the seasonal outlook which is updated monthly. These are made available on the TTMS’s website at http://www.metoffice.gov.tt/, on our social media platforms and weather App.