Total for 2016 was 1 422 mm; up from 789 mm in 2015
ALTHOUGH drought conditions parched the island early last year, a top official from the Barbados Meteorological Services reveals that in the final analysis, there was twice as much rainfall recorded in 2016 when compared to 2015.
Deputy Director, Sonia Nurse, told The Barbados Advocate that 2016 started with below-normal rainfall levels in the first half of the year. However, by the end of the year, a total of 1 422 mm (55.62 inches), recorded at the Grantley Adams station, was in excess of the 30-year average of 1 270 mm (50.05 inches), while the 2015 total of 789 mm (31.07 inches) fell way below the 30-year average.
“Figures showed that approximately 78 per cent or 1 099.1 mm (43.27 inches) of the total rainfall measured last year was experienced during the wet season (June-November) as opposed to 461 mm (18.15 inches) recorded during the same period of the 2015 wet season.
“However, rainfall data showed that 2015 started out significantly wetter than 2016, with accumulations of over nine inches recorded between January and April as opposed to a mere five inches, which was recorded January to April, 2016. A similar rainfall pattern was reported from some of the other stations around the island.”
Nurse further explained that while adverse weather conditions are normally expected during any hurricane season, there were however, three major systems impacting weather conditions across Barbados and all translated into above-normal rainfall events.
“Matthew moved across Barbados and some neighbouring islands on 28th September. This system produced rainfall across the island ranging from 50 to 100 mm (two to four inches). A deep-layered trough on the 29th November, resulted in extensive flooding across Barbados with rainfall stations across the island reporting between 100 and 150 mm (4 and 6 inches).”
In addition, she noted that on December 22 another trough traversed the island chain and generated rainfall amounts of 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4 inches) across Barbados.
In the final analysis the senior meteorologist said that the wettest month of the year was November in which 457.2 mm (18 inches) of rainfall was measured at the Charnocks/GAIA station. This was as a result of the two significant rainfall events during the last week in November which contributed to this total.
Notably, the weather event on November 29, which was responsible for a significant flooding on the island, led to 154 mm (6.1 inches) of rainfall recorded at Charnocks. “Recorded rainfall totals across some of the other stations on this day also ranged between 100 and 150 mm (4 and 6 inches).”
On the other side of the equation, the driest month in 2016 was the month of April when only 10.9 mm (0.43 inches) of rainfall was measured. The deputy director said this total was similar to that recorded in April 1997 and 2014 of 14.2 mm and 12.2 mm (0.56 and 0.48 inches) respectively. However, she explained, it was way below the 30-year April average of 63 mm (2.48 inches). (JH)
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