BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) says below normal rainfall continued in parts of the region already with concerns over drought, including over Belize and Barbados.

“There are areas of concern over short term drought by end of January 2020 that can impact agriculture, streams and small rivers, particularly in the vicinity of Belize and Cayman Islands,” the CIMH said in its latest Caribbean drought bulletin.

It said there is wider concern over long term drought by the end of November 2019 that can impact ground water and large rivers, particularly in Belize, the Guiana’s – northern Suriname and French Guiana – and some islands of the eastern Caribbean, namely Barbados, Dominica and St Kitts.

The bulletin noted that long term drought situation, by end of November, is of immediate concern in northwestern Belize and that long term drought is evolving in Barbados, eastern Belize, Dominica, French Guiana,  St Kitts and Suriname.

CIMH said that long term drought might possibly develop or continue in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Antigua, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Martinique, Northern Guyana, St Lucia, Sint Maarten/ St-Martin,  Trinidad and the United States Virgin islands.

“Areas ending up in long term drought may experience significantly reduced water levels in large reservoirs, large rivers and groundwater during the upcoming dry season,” CIMH warned.

It said that for the July to September period, the islands of the eastern Caribbean experienced mixed conditions.