The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona (UWI CSGM) are urging the region to be fully prepared for potentially severe climate extremes.
They are calling on governments, businesses, farmers, and households to take the necessary precautions as El Niño is expected to further strengthen, intensifying the hot, dry conditions being experienced in many parts of the region.
El Niño is a climate pattern that describes the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It impacts countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and tropical regions by causing severe droughts, heatwaves, or heavy floods.
CIMH and UWI CSGM say the region must be particularly vigilant regarding extreme heat as August to October marks the peak of the Heat Season. They warn that unseasonably dry conditions during this period are particularly concerning given that the region will enter its climatological Dry Season around November.