Hurricane season starts Monday

THE hurricane season officially begins on Monday, days after the wet season began, the TT Met Office said in a statement on Saturday.

The hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The Met Office estimates the area near TT will see six named storms (from a range of four to eight storms).

“Two of these are most likely to become hurricanes in our area of interest, from a range of one to three.” The TT Met Office promised to continue to closely monitor weather conditions around TT and advise the public.

The statement said the rainy season in TT began on Saturday, based on the recording of measurable rainfall from the passage of a tropical wave.

“Rainfall activity associated with the passage of a tropical wave or the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), whichever is first, signals the start of the local rainy season each year since these features will be the mainstay for the next six months in yielding rainfall.”

The Met Office had tracked the tropical wave across the Atlantic Ocean for the past few days. “The moist and unstable environment accompanying the wave will produce much-welcomed early season rainfall.

“Most conditions are expected to continue at least for the next 24 hours.” The TT Met Office predicted an "above-normal" rainy season.

“The start of the wet season, June to August, is likely to receive more rainfall than usual. Concern for flooding is elevated.”

While the period of September to November will likely get normal amounts of rainfall, the potential for flooding will be elevated, said the statement.