Bad weather grounds Harbour Master for Tobago carnival

BAD weather has grounded the Harbour Master pleasure craft for the remainder of Tobago carnival.

The inaugural carnival officially gets under way on Friday and ends on Sunday, but fetes and boat rides have already got the festivities started.

On Wednesday, the Harbour Master's management announced the cancellation of all remaining bookings for the rest of the season.

In a press release, general manager Otis Cornwall said the decision was made after an increase in swells was noticed, which made boarding and disembarking from the vessel extremely difficult and dangerous.

Cornwall said the safety of patrons remains its main priority.

"As the weather continues to remain unpredictable and a huge safety risk for both our patrons and staff, the decision was made to cancel all remaining bookings forthwith.

"Further to this, the Met Office has reported that the weather conditions will continue to worsen and is scheduled to issue a yellow alert for all motor vessels sailing in the waters of Tobago on Wednesday."

On Tuesday, the Met Office extended a yellow-level adverse weather alert of intense rains and showers with a 70-80 per cent chance of thunderstorms. The alert is expected to end on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Tobago continued to experience heavy rain and flash flooding in areas across the west of the island.

Tobago Emergency Management Agency director Allan Stewart told Newsday the agency has slightly shifted its focus to preparing for possible natural disasters during the bad weather.