Expert warns of Caribbean heat season

A CARIBBEAN climatologist says that while the Caribbean is best known for having wet, dry and hurricane seasons, a little known fact is that the region also has a distinct heat season.

Cédric Van Meerbeeck, climatologist at the Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, says that since about 1995 the Caribbean has had a distinct heat season which lasts from about May to October and is forecast to be more intense this year that the last two years.

He said that while the heat season peaks in September, the region has its most heatwaves between August and October.

The climatologist said that for the first half of the heat season, the air is still relatively dry, therefore the temperatures are not necessarily so uncomfortable.

“But it is really that second part of the heat season that we want to warn against. Keep cool; don’t go in the sun in the middle of the day; seek shade, seek ventilation in your homes.

“If you have an AC, make sure you run the AC while you sleep so that your brain and your body can recover better and that you can function normal in the face of the heat,” the climatologist advised.