Caribbean Region Urged to Brace for Extremely Wet Season With Landslides and Floods

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC –The Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) Wednesday warned that the increasingly wet period in Belize and the Islands will be accompanied by high flooding, flash flood and landslide potential. In its latest edition of Caribbean Climate Outlook Newsletter, CariCOF said that the dry season ended up with several areas experiencing short term drought while a greater proportion of the region ending up in long term drought. It said with temperatures significantly above average in April and May, some record temperatures, a number of heatwaves and further drying of soils occurred in this period. But CariCOF said in the period July to September, it is predicting that regional countries should be prepared for flooding, flash flood and landslides as a result of  an increasing wet period. It said also that the region could also be affected “by strong tropical cyclone activity from August onward. “At the same time, heat stress will likely be higher ...