Caribbean weather: Significant heat stress expected through October
The Caribbean region has reached the tail end of the Heat Season with uncomfortable temperatures still hanging around.
The Barbados-based Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum (CariCOF) in its Heat Outlook for October 2024 to March 2025 says near-record heat causing episodes of significant heat stress can be expected through October.
So how hot will the next three to six months be?
The outlook says October (the tail end of the Heat Season) to December (the start of the Cool Season) in the Caribbean, is forecast to remain considerably hotter than usual, particularly during dry spells.
The forecast highlights intense, (near-) record night-time and daytime heat, with increasing humidity through October. Episodes of excessive heat should be rare from December to March, despite the possibly warmer than usual temperatures.
Looking at the number of heatwave days that can be expected in October 2024 in the Guianas, the outlook says usually there are 8 to 14 in coastal Guianas, 3 to 8 in the ABC Islands, Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and no more than three elsewhere.
However, the forecast notes a strong increase in the number of heatwaves in Barbados, coastal Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Windward Islands of likely at least 15 heatwave days in Barbados, coastal Guianas, Tobago and the Windward Islands.
