Today is the start of the 12th annual Bahamas Weather conference (April 9-12th) at the Westin Grand Bahama Island .

This year the conference will attract 100 television meteorologists from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.The Weather Channel and CBC Newsworld in Canada will broadcast highlights of the conference across North America.

 

Today  William Gray and Phil Klotzbach of the Colorado State University Hurricane Forecast Team issue their updated forecast for the 2008 hurricane season as part of the opening of the Bahamas Weather Conference .They are forecasting an above average hurricane season.

 

The advantage of technology and the internet  is one does not have to attend the conference in the Bahamas.With the click of the mouse we can be virtually there. link below

 

For the daily video highlights including video of today's updated hurricane forecast and reasoning behind the forecast check out their website at:

http://bahamaswxconference.com/

Partly cloudy to fair skies across the island. Lately, The weather has been really nice, since it we picked up some rain on Saturday evening.Total precip on Saturday...0.5in/12.7mm. The weather looks wonderful for the next 7 days,So enjoy it!!!

 

Interesting news from Bloomberg news

Hurricane Experts Likely to Raise 2008 Storm Predictions Today

By Demian McLean

 

Hurricane Experts Likely to Raise 2008 Storm Predictions Today

By Demian McLean

 

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane forecasters probably will boost the number of expected 2008 Atlantic storms when they update their prediction for the season today, meteorologists say.

 

William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University, whose predictions are closely watched by insurers, energy markets and local governments, are scheduled to release their forecast by 11:30 a.m. New York time. Their preliminary report in December predicted 13 named storms this year, including seven hurricanes, three of them major.

 

``We think the forecast is going to be relatively aggressive,'' Michael Schlacter, chief meteorologist at Manhattan-based Weather 2000, which serves energy traders, said in an interview. ``Conditions are favorable for the formation of Atlantic hurricanes.''

Schlacter predicted the team at CSU's Tropical Meteorology Project would forecast two additional hurricanes, one of them major, for the season that begins in June and runs to the end of November. Gray and Klotzbach have offered a preview of hurricane seasons for almost a quarter-century and typically fine-tune them at this time of year.

 

Natural-gas traders will watch for any hurricanes forecast in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where gas wells are concentrated.

``There's very little cushion if the gulf is hit,'' said Chris Jarvis, president at Caprock Risk Management LLC in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, which advises energy producers and industrial users.

 

Gas Inventories Low

Inventories of natural gas are at a two-year low after a cooler winter than the year before. Also pushing supplies lower is higher demand from industrial users, who are choosing it over more expensive fuel oil.

Last year, two Category 5 hurricanes -- the most intense on a five-tier scale -- made landfall in the Atlantic Basin for the first time ever. Storms Dean and Felix narrowly missed gas and oil rigs in the gulf, plowing into Mexican and Nicaraguan agricultural regions.

Boosting the odds of Atlantic hurricanes is the current La Nina weather pattern, which occurs every three to five years.

 

The phenomenon cools Pacific waters while also calming atmospheric turbulence. Turbulence normally discourages hurricane formation over the Atlantic.

``The chances for the continental U.S. and the Caribbean Islands to experience a hurricane increase substantially during La Nina,'' according to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center.

Past Forecasts

 

Gray and Klotzbach aren't always accurate in their predictions. They issued identical forecasts for the 2006 and 2007 seasons -- 17 named storms, with nine strengthening into hurricanes. In 2006, there were 10 actual storms, five of them building into hurricanes; in 2007, there were 15 storms, six of them hurricanes.

In 2005, they forecast 13 storms, including seven hurricanes. The season produced a record 28 storms that generated 15 hurricanes, including Katrina and Rita.

 

The five-tier Saffir-Simpson scale defines major hurricanes as having winds of more than 111 miles (179 kilometers) an hour. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane if its winds reach 75 mph.

Hurricane Felix struck northeastern Nicaragua with winds of about 160 mph on Sept. 4. The death toll was as high as 130, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Hurricane Dean battered Central America's Yucatan Peninsula on Aug. 21 with 165-mph winds after killing as many as 40 people across the Caribbean.

Rain and Thunder

 

Yesterday, Montego Bay experienced thunderstorm and rain. The rain and occasional thunder started at around 5:15 and continued up unto 7pm. Today we aslo saw some much welcomed rainfall. It started sometime after two pm and tapered off with the hour. Total precipitation for the past 24hrs is 0.92 inches/23.4mm.

 

Forecast features a nice balance. We had rain this week and now to the sunshine which visitors travel from thousands of miles to see and enjoy. The trough which has provided the island with rain throughout the week is forecast to weekend as a high pressure ridge builds across the Caribbean. Saturday-Tuesday looks fair with the best chance of rain through the period on Saturday night.

 

Looking wet for most parishes

 

Nice weather here, free healthcare program running okay with a few minor glitches. The talk of the nation is the dramatic developments coming out of the USA. Most people are shocked at the news, which broke yesterday; of a Jamaican detained at a Florida airport after bomb parts were found in his luggage. You can read more about that story by clicking the link. Nationwide radio (link below) typically has news and coverage of local stories between 6a.m-10a.m (est.). and 6-10pm (est.).

http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/6906/26/

 

Extensive coverage from local radio stations

http://www.nationwidenewsnetwork.com/

http://www.newstalk.com.jm/LiveStream.htm

 

A trough cuts right across the island enhancing showers. Through the next 72 hrs expect an elevated chance for rainfall. Portions of the Hpc discussion below…

THE ANALYSIS

SHOWS A CLOSED LOW OVER SOUTHERN HAITI...WITH CIRCULATION AT 500

HPA FORECAST TO MEANDER SOUTH ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST OF COLOMBIA

BY 24 HRS. THIS FEATURE IS CUTOFF FROM THE FLOW...AND IT WILL

WEAKEN TO AN OPEN/ INVERTED TROUGH THROUGH 60-72 HRS. BY THEN IT

WILL EXTEND NORTHEAST FROM PANAMA TO SOUTH OF JAMAICA/HAITI. THIS

IS TO CONTINUE HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE CONVECTION ACROSS THE

CENTRAL/SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS-THE TURKS AND CENTRAL CUBA THROUGH 48-54

HRS...HISPANIOLA THROUGH 36 HRS...WHILE OVER JAMAICA IT WILL

ENHANCE CONVECTION THROUGH 72 HRS. OVER NORTHERN HISPANIOLA AND

CENTRAL/EASTERN CUBA IT WILL FAVOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 05-10MM/DAY

AND MAXIMA OF 15-25MM... WITH SIMILAR AMOUNTS OVER THE

BAHAMAS/TURKS. ACROSS JAMAICA WE NOW EXPECT MORE PERSISTENT

CONVECTION WITH ACCUMULATION OF 05-10MM/DAY AND MAXIMA OF

25mm/day.

Finally waves are expected be high again for our friends in the Eastern Caribbean. NWC/NCEP 24HR Wind and Wave Forecast below.

 

 

 

 

Periods of sun

 

Mostly cloudy with periods of sun ruled today in Montego Bay. Some very light showers about an hour ago,

but is too light to be measured less than a trace. This week is looking promising for rainfall as the models

show increased moisture. Already according to the NHC discussion, an early season tropical wave today crossed 

the Lesser Antilles and currently extends from 11 to 20N.There is a surface – upper level trough and a possible

upper level low developing over Eastern Cuba. The island’s weather will see increased showers. We can expect 

rainfall amounts of 5-10mm with maxima of 15-35mm through Wednesday. 

Later in the week, Jamaica along with much of Central Caribbean will likely see an increased chance for Heavy

rainfall, but that’s for another time.(That prospect is discussed in the HPC Discussions  below).

I will not be able to blog as frequently as I have been doing lately, but I will try to pitch in when possible.

AN INVERTED TROUGH ENTERED THE LESSER

ANTILLES...WITH GFS MODEL FORECASTING THIS PERTURBATION TO MOVE

SOUTH OF THE USVI/PUERTO RICO BY 27-30 HRS. AT 36-60 HRS IT WILL

REACH SOUTHERN HISPANIOLA....AND BY 72-96 HRS IT WILL REACH

JAMAICA/EASTERN
 CUBA. OVER THE LESSER ANTILLES WE ONLY EXPECT

RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 00-05MM/DAY AND MAXIMA OF 10-20MM. ACROSS

PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...TO CONCENTRATE ALONG THE

SOUTHERN COAST...WE EXPECT RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 05-10MM/DAY AND

MAXIMA OF 15-25MM. SIMILAR AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED AS IT MOVES

THROUGH HAITI. MOST INTENSE IS EXPECTED OVER JAMAICA... WHERE IT

WILL FAVOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 10-15MM/DAY AND MAXIMA OF 20-40MM

LATER IN THE PERIOD. NOTE THAT MODELS SHOWS MOST UNSTABLE

CONDITIONS TO THE SOUTH OF THE GREATER ANTILLES AS THE

PERTURBATION INTERACTS WITH THE WANING UPPER TROUGH    

Link..gfs caribbean model 

http://www.nco.ncep.noaa.gov/pmb/nwpara/analysis/index_carib.shtml

 

Mostly cloudy skies across much of the island today as subsidence is in firm control across muc of the region.We are expecting more great weather until Tuesday/Wednesday. When a cold front will move in the area.

 

Well everybody is talking about the free healthcare for all Jamaica to take effect in 72 hrs.  Some people are saying,"It is impossible, we cannot afford it", "It will be a strain on our health system! , we dont have enough health personnel" ,"They are going to kill us with tax".

While others are saying ,"It is definetly possible, It is a step in  acheiving first world status", "Government promised free tution for all and we get it with no problem,so what the difference here".

 

Well, we will have to wait for 72 more hours to have an idea, but the debate goes on . below is full story on this issue from Radio Jamaica.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good day. Below the skyline of our beautiful capital city, Kingston.

 

 

 

 

source:panramio by by Roger Moreno

We managed to squeeze some rain out the stationary front before it wilted. In the morning hours, we received some moderate rainfall in total 0.66in/13.7mm. Seems a little, but it is better than nothing. There is still a change for very light rainfall as there is a trough in the area which sustains a moist pattern across much of the basin. It should persist for the next 3 days and daily widely scattered amounts of 0-5mm daily with Maxima 10-15mm likely. It should be however sunny for the most part.

 

 

Very Interesting news  from South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Unmanned drones to help with hurricane forecasting, will be flown from Jamaica and Barbados

This summer, a fleet of small unmanned aircraft, similar to radio-controlled models sold by hobby stores, is to be launched into the heart of hurricanes to beam back information that may sharpen the accuracy of tropical forecasts, scientists say.

But the satellite-linked drones likely won't be permitted to conduct reconnaissance missions into storms that approach the U.S. coastline, the upshot of a bureaucratic tiff between two federal agencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration has refused to authorize the planes, called Aerosondes, to fly near the U.S. mainland or adjacent international waters, saying they could endanger planes fleeing a hurricane.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to deploy the 30-pound drones from coastal Virginia or Key West and argues they would operate far from normal air routes.

Until the two agencies come to an agreement, NOAA plans to launch the winged probes from Jamaica or Barbados during the 2008 hurricane season into storms that pose an initial threat to the Caribbean.

Missions flown from those tropical islands still would allow scientists to hone the Aerosonde program, which will be conducted on an experimental basis, said Joseph Cione, NOAA's principal investigator for unmanned aerial system research.

"The endgame is to improve forecasts and save lives and property," he said.

Although Aerosondes have been flying into storms, exploring arctic regions and undertaking other scientific missions for about seven years, NOAA wants to step up their use this year.

Scientists hope the drones will provide new clues about the still-mysterious cores of hurricanes — and specifically, the process that allows them to strengthen. Manufactured by Aerosonde, based in Melbourne, Australia, the propeller-driven weather probes, which cost more than $50,000 each, are engineering marvels.

Equipped with a 1.6-horsepower engine and flight management computer, the drone can fly an astonishing 2,300 miles on 1.5 gallons of fuel at a cruising speed of about 60 mph. With such stamina, the drones can be directed into a hurricane and drift in its swirling winds for more than 20 hours. After enduring the turbulence, they are rugged enough to return to their home base intact.

Though Aerosondes might be considered the cousins of military drones, they aren't nearly as big or powerful. The U.S. Air Force Predator, for instance, weighs up to 2,250 pounds, is equipped with a 115-horsepower engine and can be armed with laser-guided missiles.

By flying as low as 300 feet above the ocean, an altitude far too dangerous for manned aircraft, the Aerosondes can transmit temperature, wind, barometric pressure and humidity readings from that important slice of the atmosphere to the National Hurricane Center, said Cione, who is based in Miami.

No other technology is available to obtain such key information instantaneously, the NOAA official said. After feeding the data into forecast models, the hurricane center should be able to better determine a storm's structure and warn which areas of Florida and other at-risk states stand to be hit hardest.

Aerosondes already have demonstrated a tenacious ability to examine storms.

One flew for 17.5 hours in Hurricane Noel last November and another for 10 hours in Hurricane Ophelia in September 2005. The planes provided a better understanding of how thermal energy is transferred from the warm ocean to the storm above it, Cione said.

"If we don't understand that, we will never have really accurate forecasts, so it's a critical region," he said.

From the FAA's point of view, the problem with the drone is that when a hurricane approaches, residents in cars aren't the only ones who flee.In Florida alone, thousands of airplanes and helicopters belonging to airlines, flight schools, private individuals and the U.S. military also would retreat, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

"We want to be sure that the unmanned aerial system operations can be done safely without impacting any of those aircraft that are evacuating — or the hurricane hunters," she said.

The FAA does intend to issue NOAA and its partner in the Aerosonde program, NASA, permission to fly the small planes, Bergen said. But she said that would be with restrictions and would come too late to affect flights during the 2008 hurricane season, which starts June 1 and lasts six months.

Anson Franklin, NOAA spokesman, said his agency will continue to "work closely" with the FAA to find a way to eventually operate the drones from U.S. bases.

"We will still be able to find some ways to continue testing the unmanned aerial system without running afoul of any regulations," he said.

The Aerosondes are part of a broader NOAA program to use unmanned aircraft to monitor global events, such as arctic ice melting, volcanic lava flows and changes in fish and whale populations. NOAA recently invested an additional $3 million in its overall unmanned aircraft program.

Aerosondes already have flown more than 1,000 hours in the Arctic yet are so flexible that they also can fly in baking Sahara heat, said Daniel Fowler, a drone operator with the Aerosonde firm. He said the plane is constructed with tough polymers, such as those used in bulletproof vests, and other advanced materials.

Fowler said the probe is normally launched from the back of a moving vehicle via radio controls, like many model airplanes. Then control is transferred to satellite, with an operator in a mission command post taking charge.

"Once on satellite, the operator can be anywhere on the face of the planet, talking to the plane," he said.

In the future, Aerosondes might help forecasters better anticipate when tropical systems might rapidly intensify, a phenomenon that until now has been hard to foresee, said Chris Landsea, science and operations officer at the National Hurricane Center.

He said the drones might also help determine the size of storms, information that would help emergency managers better plan for evacuations.

Ken Kaye

Photo from Florida Sun Sentinel

 

Links shows the original story and a actual video of how the process works.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbdrones0323sbmar25,0,2643645.story

We managed to squeeze some rain out the stationary front before it wilted. In the morning hours, we received some moderate rainfall in total 0.66in/13.7mm. Seems a little, but it is better than nothing. There is still a change for very light rainfall as there is a trough in the area which sustains a moist pattern across much of the basin. It should persist for the next 3 days and daily widely scattered amounts of 0-5mm daily with Maxima 10-15mm likely. It should be however sunny for the most part.

 

 

Very Interesting news  from South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Unmanned drones to help with hurricane forecasting, will be flown from Jamaica and Barbados

This summer, a fleet of small unmanned aircraft, similar to radio-controlled models sold by hobby stores, is to be launched into the heart of hurricanes to beam back information that may sharpen the accuracy of tropical forecasts, scientists say.

But the satellite-linked drones likely won't be permitted to conduct reconnaissance missions into storms that approach the U.S. coastline, the upshot of a bureaucratic tiff between two federal agencies.

The Federal Aviation Administration has refused to authorize the planes, called Aerosondes, to fly near the U.S. mainland or adjacent international waters, saying they could endanger planes fleeing a hurricane.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wants to deploy the 30-pound drones from coastal Virginia or Key West and argues they would operate far from normal air routes.

Until the two agencies come to an agreement, NOAA plans to launch the winged probes from Jamaica or Barbados during the 2008 hurricane season into storms that pose an initial threat to the Caribbean.

Missions flown from those tropical islands still would allow scientists to hone the Aerosonde program, which will be conducted on an experimental basis, said Joseph Cione, NOAA's principal investigator for unmanned aerial system research.

"The endgame is to improve forecasts and save lives and property," he said.

Although Aerosondes have been flying into storms, exploring arctic regions and undertaking other scientific missions for about seven years, NOAA wants to step up their use this year.

Scientists hope the drones will provide new clues about the still-mysterious cores of hurricanes — and specifically, the process that allows them to strengthen. Manufactured by Aerosonde, based in Melbourne, Australia, the propeller-driven weather probes, which cost more than $50,000 each, are engineering marvels.

Equipped with a 1.6-horsepower engine and flight management computer, the drone can fly an astonishing 2,300 miles on 1.5 gallons of fuel at a cruising speed of about 60 mph. With such stamina, the drones can be directed into a hurricane and drift in its swirling winds for more than 20 hours. After enduring the turbulence, they are rugged enough to return to their home base intact.

Though Aerosondes might be considered the cousins of military drones, they aren't nearly as big or powerful. The U.S. Air Force Predator, for instance, weighs up to 2,250 pounds, is equipped with a 115-horsepower engine and can be armed with laser-guided missiles.

By flying as low as 300 feet above the ocean, an altitude far too dangerous for manned aircraft, the Aerosondes can transmit temperature, wind, barometric pressure and humidity readings from that important slice of the atmosphere to the National Hurricane Center, said Cione, who is based in Miami.

No other technology is available to obtain such key information instantaneously, the NOAA official said. After feeding the data into forecast models, the hurricane center should be able to better determine a storm's structure and warn which areas of Florida and other at-risk states stand to be hit hardest.

Aerosondes already have demonstrated a tenacious ability to examine storms.

One flew for 17.5 hours in Hurricane Noel last November and another for 10 hours in Hurricane Ophelia in September 2005. The planes provided a better understanding of how thermal energy is transferred from the warm ocean to the storm above it, Cione said.

"If we don't understand that, we will never have really accurate forecasts, so it's a critical region," he said.

From the FAA's point of view, the problem with the drone is that when a hurricane approaches, residents in cars aren't the only ones who flee.In Florida alone, thousands of airplanes and helicopters belonging to airlines, flight schools, private individuals and the U.S. military also would retreat, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.

"We want to be sure that the unmanned aerial system operations can be done safely without impacting any of those aircraft that are evacuating — or the hurricane hunters," she said.

The FAA does intend to issue NOAA and its partner in the Aerosonde program, NASA, permission to fly the small planes, Bergen said. But she said that would be with restrictions and would come too late to affect flights during the 2008 hurricane season, which starts June 1 and lasts six months.

Anson Franklin, NOAA spokesman, said his agency will continue to "work closely" with the FAA to find a way to eventually operate the drones from U.S. bases.

"We will still be able to find some ways to continue testing the unmanned aerial system without running afoul of any regulations," he said.

The Aerosondes are part of a broader NOAA program to use unmanned aircraft to monitor global events, such as arctic ice melting, volcanic lava flows and changes in fish and whale populations. NOAA recently invested an additional $3 million in its overall unmanned aircraft program.

Aerosondes already have flown more than 1,000 hours in the Arctic yet are so flexible that they also can fly in baking Sahara heat, said Daniel Fowler, a drone operator with the Aerosonde firm. He said the plane is constructed with tough polymers, such as those used in bulletproof vests, and other advanced materials.

Fowler said the probe is normally launched from the back of a moving vehicle via radio controls, like many model airplanes. Then control is transferred to satellite, with an operator in a mission command post taking charge.

"Once on satellite, the operator can be anywhere on the face of the planet, talking to the plane," he said.

In the future, Aerosondes might help forecasters better anticipate when tropical systems might rapidly intensify, a phenomenon that until now has been hard to foresee, said Chris Landsea, science and operations officer at the National Hurricane Center.

He said the drones might also help determine the size of storms, information that would help emergency managers better plan for evacuations.

Ken Kaye

Photo from Florida Sun Sentinel

 

Links shows the original story and a actual video of how the process works.

 

Mostly cloudy skies and a few periods of very light showers observed today. All thanks to a stationary front extending from a low over Honduras.The front as been over the island since early this morning .It has been producing very scattered, hit and miss showers. Just checking out  some observations, both internatonal airport reported light rainfall throughout today, but not see any precip reports.

Links daily temperature and precipitation data for select caribbean cities

 

 

The stationary front will dissipate by  tommorow (Thursday) , but hopefully we can squezze some rain out of it for  our farming areas in southern Jamaica .They have been hit hard with drought and bush fires.An additional 5-10mm and maxima of 15-25mm are expected from through the next 36hrs.

 

Link latest caribbean surface analysis

 

Latest Carib satellite imagery

 

 

Carib weather models

 

Caribbean weather discussions (technical)

 

 

Learn more about the weather through these learning modules.

 

 

 

Throughout today's blog I have highlighted a few good caribbean weather links for all the avid weather enthusiasts .

 

Tommorrow is the opening of Parliament in Jamaica. Many persons will be watching to hear about the budget. It will be the first time in 18 years, the JLP will presenting as incumbent.

 

A good radio link for persons interested in listening and learning Jamaican culture is

 

 

Have a good day.Below is today sea-surface temperatures .Folks its getting warm.Remember ocean waters have to be 26.5 deg Celsius for hurricanes to form.

Blayz

 

 

 

 

Dangerous waves to batter the Lesser Antilles

 

Nice weather here in Jamaica, but I had to blog this morning out of extreme concern for the islands. A dangerous weather situation is developing. This will affect our neighbors in the Eastern Caribbean, from Puerto Rico in the North, to St. Vincent and Trinidad in the south. Once large, powerful and lingering North Atlantic Ocean low pressure area is and will continue to generate extreme swells. These will reach the islands in the today and Friday.

Marine conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the morning, with swells in the region of 13-14 feet. On Friday waves will continue to be high 12-13 feet but will die down to 9-10 feet Saturday. Some areas in the period could see swells in excess of 15 feet!

There are buoys east of Martinique right now reporting 13ft waves.

Another big story are the low temperatures being reported in the Eastern Caribbean this morning as the tail end of a cold front move through temps 18-20 deg c

Coastal flooding is possible especially in northern and eastern sections of islands facing the Atlantic Ocean. I strongly urge residents and tourists to avoid the beaches during the period, as dangerous rip currents pose a possible threat.  Small craft operators should stay put until winds and seas die down. In fact, I would recommend that mariners secure their vessels against these waves as they could do serious damage.

Persons should listen to bulletins issued by their local meteorological and emergency management services for more information.

Take care of yourself and family,

Blayz

Source:Wmo website

http://www.wmo.ch/pages/mediacentre/news/index_en.html

Caribbean weather radar installation nears completion
(posted on 29 February)

The long-awaited Doppler weather radar, being installed by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), is nearing completion at Brasso Venado in Trinidad and Tobago. This state-of-the-art project is funded by the European Union and will be completed within a few weeks. It will form part of the Caribbean Early Warning System for predicting and monitoring severe weather conditions.

 

CMO press release

 

CARIBBEAN METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION

INFORMATION RELEASE

WEATHER RADAR INSTALLATION NEAR COMPLETION

 

Port-of-Spain, 29 February 2008 – The long-awaited Doppler Weather Radar, being installed by

the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), is nearing completion at Brasso Venado in the

district of Tabaquite in the central range of Trinidad.

 

The weather radar which is under installation in Trinidad & Tobago is part of a 13.2 million Euro (approx

TT$ 128 million) Caribbean weather radar network project funded by the European Union and

implemented by the Port of Spain-based Caribbean Meteorological Organization. The weather radar at

Brasso Venado is a sophisticated state-of-the-art system built by the Selex-Gematronix company of

Germany, which has been placed on a five-storey 20-metre reinforced concrete tower that will house the

related equipment.

 

 

The CMO is also installing similar new weather radars in Guyana, Barbados and Belize. These four

radars will be linked with other existing radars in the Caribbean to form a modern network of nine radars

that will be a key component in the Caribbean Early Warning System for predicting and monitoring

severe weather conditions.

 

Mr Tyrone Sutherland, Coordinating Director of the CMO, said that “the installation of the radar at

Brasso Venado will be completed within weeks, after which a period of extensive testing will take place.

The Caribbean Meteorological Organization expects to hand the radar over to the Government of

Trinidad & Tobago for operational use by the Meteorological Service in time for the start of the 2008

hurricane season. The weather radar will provide complete coverage of both islands and out to a

distance of 400 km, enabling meteorologists to provide more accurate and timely information on all kinds

of severe weather, such as approaching tropical storm and hurricanes, heavy rainfall events, etc.

Information from the radar will be made available by the Meteorological Services to the public, national

disaster preparedness and emergency agencies and other users in Trinidad & Tobago and throughout

the Caribbean via the Internet and the media. In other words, both specialists and the general public will

be able to ‘see’ approaching weather on the radars for themselves.

.

For more information please contact:

Caribbean Meteorological Organization Headquarters

P.O. Box 461, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Tel: (1 868) 624 4481; Fax: (1 868) 623 3634

E-mail: CMOHQ at cmo.org.tt or hqcmo at tstt.net.tt

 

 

 

 

It is an overcast and very windy morning in Montego Bay and across much of Western and Central Jamaica. The strong cold front which brought snow flurries to Daytona Beach, Florida and Hurricane force winds to the Gulf of México and extreme Nwern Caribbean has moved through. The winds have been howling  NNE at 21kts/24mph/39kph since the early morning hours and have not eased since. The smaller trees have been swaying and even the large branches of my East Indian mango tree are been tossed around by the strong winds. From my location I have a good view of the sea and it is very rough ,I can see plenty of foam and spray as the waves slam onto the coastline. Temperatures have so far reached the current maximum of 24 deg c /75 deg f,  Yesterday this time it 29 deg  c/84 deg F it might only be a 3 degree drop in temperature but that’s a lot in warm tropical Jamaica.   

In contrast, the Capital city Kingston has not yet experienced the Cold Front .It is currently 28 deg c and winds throughout the morning have been 3-5 kt range. The Cold Front will move through Kingston as well Eastern Jamaica shortly, it currently extends (based on   7 am noaa Caribbean Surface analysis  ) from St. Mary to Clarendon moving slowly se .Even after the cold front is gone strong winds are expected to continue up to Tuesday. Today into tomorrow 30kt/35mph/56kp/h winds are possible even gusts to 35 kts/40mph/64 kph cannot be ruled out in higher elevations.

 

Forecast (from Meteorological Service, Jamaica)

SIGNIFICANT FEATURE… Strong Cold Front moving across the island.

24-HOURS FORECAST

Morning… Mostly cloudy, windy and cool with occasional showers mainly over northern parishes.

Afternoon…cloudy, windy and cool with occasional showers mainly over northern parishes.

Night…cloudy, windy and cool with occasional showers mainly over northern parishes.

 

3 DAYS FORECAST (starting tomorrow)

Fri/Sat: Cloudy, cool and windy with scattered showers mainly across northern parishes.

Sun: Partly cloudy with cool and windy conditions mainly across northern parishes.

 

Comment… The Cold Front is to move to the east and south of Jamaica, with a

High Pressure Ridge behind the front to maintain strong winds through the weekend.

Ram

end

Try to have a warm and nice day.