Declaration of the start of the 2022 Wet Season for Trinidad and Tobago
The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) is officially declaring the start of the 2022 Wet Season for Trinidad and Tobago. The official start to the wet season is marked by measurable rainfall produced by a Tropical Wave and/or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), both of which are the main weather-producing features of Trinidad and Tobago’s wet season.
The TTMS has been monitoring a Tropical Wave that moved across Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday 15th May, 2022 into Monday 16th May, 2022 and produced measurable rainfall over several areas, thus signaling the official start of the 2022 Wet Season for Trinidad and Tobago.
Although this Tropical Wave is the fourth wave that the TTMS has been tracking that moved off the west coast of Africa and traversed the Tropical Atlantic, it is the first one to affect Trinidad and Tobago.
As at 8 am today, Monday 16th May, 2022, the month of May has yielded rainfall totals of 28.5 mm which amounts to 23% of the of the average total rainfall of 124mm for May. The remainder of the month is likely to continue with below average rainfall across most areas. At this time, there are no Tropical Waves over the Tropical Atlantic so no wave activity is expected for at least the next week or so. Currently the ITCZ remains south of latitude 5N, but is expected to gradually migrate northward as the month progresses.
With the current La Niña phase, this means favourable conditions for increased cloudiness and rainfall. However, so far the ongoing La Niña has influenced the local climate in an unusual way, but there is likely to be a slow build up to the wet season rainfall. Regardless, the TTMS urges the population to prepare for managing the expected weather instability that comes with the wet season.
Climatologically, Trinidad and Tobago’s wet season can extend into December before completely transitioning into dry season in January. Please be reminded that the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts from 1st June and extends until 30th November and usually falls within Trinidad and Tobago’s wet season.
The TTMS 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 wet 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.
Saide Shakeer
Meteorologist IV, Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service
