PHILIPSBURG--Rainfall in September was once again below normal, making it the tenth consecutive month with below-normal rainfall.
September 2015 was the driest September since 1986, which had a total of 20.7 millimetres or 0.8 inches. This year has so far been the driest year on record, with a total of just 253.3 millimetres or 10 inches of rainfall since January, just 34 per cent compared to normal.
This was outlined in the St. Maarten Meteorological Department’s September newsletter.
The Caribbean Drought Monitoring Network has issued a drought warning for the Leeward Islands including St. Maarten until the end of 2015, the newsletter stated.
The total rainfall this September was 26.4 millimetres or 1.0 inch, compared to the September norm of 94.9 to 132.7 millimetres or 4 to 5 inches. It rained on four days, with one day having heavy rain.
The longest dry spell was 11 days, between September 20 and 30, and the warmest day of the month was September 30, with an average temperature of 29.7 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to the Caribbean Outlook Forum, the precipitation outlook for the season October, November and December is expected to be below-to-near normal, with “normal” rainfall ranging from 307.2 to 499.3 millimetres or 12 to 20 inches. Temperature for most of the Caribbean is forecast to be near-normal to above-normal for the same period.
