The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) has declared the start of the 2023 Wet Season.
According to the TTMS, the official start to the country’s wet season is marked by measurable rainfall (0.1 mm) produced by a Tropical Wave and/or the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), both of which are the main weather-producing features of Trinidad and Tobago’s wet season.
They added that the Met Office has been tracking the tropical wave for the last 10 days, which moved off the west coast of Africa on May 15, 2023.
The tropical wave began affecting T&T Friday afternoon, producing measurable rainfall across parts of both islands.
The next Tropical Wave that the TTMS is tracking is forecast to pass early next week.
Looking at wider-scale conditions for the upcoming months, the Met Office said, “Currently, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions remain neutral; however, a transition to El Niño conditions is likely to occur within the next two months. Given this, the 2023 wet season outlook for Trinidad and Tobago expects near normal to slightly wetter conditions for the first half of the season, while for the second half, near normal to slightly drier conditions are forecast.”
Climatologically, T&T’s wet season can extend into December before completely transitioning into the dry season in January.
The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1 and continues through November 30, falling within T&T’s local Wet Season.