Caption: Meteorologist and Public Relations Officer for the T&T Meteorological Office, Gary Benjamin
By Alicia Chamely
TORNADOES are not uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago, nor are they a product of anything other than a strong thunderstorm.
Meteorologist and Public Relations Officer for the T&T Meteorological Office, Gary Benjamin explained on Wednesday, the tornado that ripped through the Westmoorings North neighbourhood on Tuesday was nothing out of the ordinary, saying tornadoes regularly occur in T&T.
Speaking to AZP News on Wednesday, Benjamin said, “Tornados, such as the one experienced yesterday, are natural products of thunderstorms.”
He explained Tuesday’s tornado was considerably strong for T&T, but would be considered weak globally, especially in areas of the United States.
Asked whether this was a rare occurrence, Benjamin explained that tornadoes are quite common in T&T and are often referred to as “freak storms.”
He said that, although no data was available, tornadoes are reported every year in various parts of the country.
Benjamin noted, however, that waterspouts were a more common occurrence. He said both tornadoes and waterspouts were products of warm, moist air rising and dry, cool air descending, leading to unstable weather conditions brought on by thunderstorms.
The only difference between the two, he said, was that waterspouts develop over water and tornadoes over land.
He said when one looked at the weather satellite images from Tuesday, there was a large convergence of thunderstorm activity over the northwestern region of the island, creating the perfect conditions for both tornadoes and waterspouts to form.
Benjamin said, despite tornadoes developing every year in T&T, the one on Tuesday attracted the attention it did because it happened in a densely populated area and unlike in the past, the tornado was recorded in real time by numerous members of the public.
He said, instead of reading a report or seeing the aftermath on the news, through videos being shared online the wider public got to witness a tornado in real time.
Benjamin said the extent of the damage further caught the attention of the public.
He noted, however, that unfortunately, many homes in T&T were not equipped or constructed to handle a strong tornado or heavy winds.
Asked about a warning system, he said there was no warning system in T&T. He explained that in tornado-prone areas in the US, the most warning one would get was half an hour or less. He said most warnings came when the tornado had already formed or there was a strong possibility of one touching down.
Benjamin reiterated tornadoes happened regularly in T&T and we could expect reports of more as the storm season progresses, noting again that both waterspouts and tornadoes were natural products of thunderstorms.
Early Tuesday afternoon, a tornado developed as a result of a thunderstorm in the northwest. The tornado mostly affected Westmoorings North, where it had been reported that 13 properties were damaged. Live videos circulated on social media showing airborne roofing and other debris circling in the air.
Clean-up operations by the Diego Martin Regional Corporation took place up late on Tuesday evening. Member of Parliament for area Hans Des Vinges and Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Kadijah Ameen were on site.
