By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE Dry Season has officially begun.
The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) declared the start of the 2023 Dry Season in a social media post on Friday.
The impacts of the 2023 Dry Season include: reduction in groundwater recharge, surface water flows and rain-fed water availability and increase in surface and vegetation dryness as the season progresses, which enhances the potential for bushfires.
TTMS stated, “The present climatic patterns and features, such as the dominance of strong upper-level southwesterly to westerly winds over our region, the intensification of the North Atlantic sub-tropical high-pressure system, the strengthened trade-wind inversion, and stronger surface winds, signal that the region has transitioned to its drier state.
“The dry season generally manifests itself by reduced moisture, increased atmospheric stability, fewer deep clouds, less frequent rainfall events, warm days and cool nights, and a shift in the wind direction to mostly easterlies to north easterlies, all of which are being experienced now.”
April is carded to be the driest month of the season.
The TTMS had previously advised of near-normal to above-normal rainfall for January and February, near normal to below-normal rainfall from March to May.
Also expected are average day and night temperatures, with few chilly nights/early mornings during January and February, where temperatures can fall below 20 degrees celsius due to relatively colder air being funnelled into the region from the sub-tropical high-pressure system and migrating frontal systems from higher latitudes.
As the dry season progresses, there is a high probability of an increase in Saharan dust-haze events and drier environmental conditions that increase the chances of bush/grass/forest and landfill fires.
TTMS is advising public is advised to conserve, store and manage water in a sustainable manner and to refrain from burning rubbish in grassy or forested areas during the dry season.
Relevant agencies and ministries are also advised to take measures to mitigate the potential impacts of the dry season.
