With continued below normal rainfall through March,the meteorological drought has worsened to serious levels for Antigua according to climatologist Dale Destine.
“That is the “good” news, the bad news is that the drought is likely to get worse over the next few months, as below normal rainfall is forecast by most models,” Dale said.
The likelihood of below normal rainfall for Antigua and Barbuda; only two of the 12 models forecast near normal rainfall.
“This is the driest start to a year since 2015 and the ninth driest first-quarter for Antigua in a series that dates to 1928,” Destine’s report added.
The island-average rainfall of 93.0 mm represents only 57 percent of the normal total for January to March.
The rainfall for March of 29.2 mm is the worst for the month since 2015.
The total was only 63 percent of the usual amount for the first month of spring; hence, a significant deficit of 37 percent.
