KINGSTON, Jamaica— Director of the Meteorological Service (Met Service), Evan Thompson, says despite the recent rainfall impacting the island, Jamaicans should not expect an increase in rainfall levels between July and August.

“Usually, July is a low-rainfall period of the season, and so as we move towards July and August, do not expect too much rainfall. Unless we get some tropical waves that are fertile with moisture, it’s not likely that we’re going to get significant rainfall to really help us to go all the way through to the end of the year,” he informed.

Addressing journalists at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday, Thompson explained that the recent peak in rainfall was caused by the transitioning of the winter to summer season.

“We have already witnessed that during May, where we normally expect the peak, it was delayed from the end of May going into June, and that’s why you got that increase in rainfall during that period,” he stated.

Jamaica is already two weeks into the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season, which began on June 1 and will end on November 30.

Pointing out that temperatures are “likely to be above normal” into the hurricane season, Thompson said the climate pattern, El Niño, which is the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, will contribute to the decrease in rainfall activity.

It is also expected to reduce the chance of hurricane developments as changes take place in the region’s atmosphere.

“We’ve already begun to experience temperatures that are very warm… there are many complaints about how hot it is, but at the same time the El Niño does contribute to reduced rainfall during the season, so with higher temperatures and less rainfall, there is more stress and so we must be able to manage that,” he argued.

The peak of the hurricane season usually occurs between August and October, with greater frequencies of tropical storms and hurricanes across the region.

Against this backdrop, Thompson is urging Jamaicans to not be complacent in their disaster preparedness.

“We must not adopt the posture of normality as we move through this hurricane season, even if it is considered to be a normal season in terms of the number of storms or hurricanes that could develop,” he advised.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), said Jamaica stands ready for the season.

The ministry’s team members have begun sensitising communities on protocols to follow in the event that they have to relocate to a school for shelter.

–JIS