Caribbean governments are being urged to step up preparations as El Niño strengthens, intensifying hot and dry conditions across the region.
The University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona and the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology are warning of growing risks to water supplies, health, energy systems, tourism and food security.
The experts say extreme heat between August and October marks the peak of the region’s heat season.
They say the unseasonably dry conditions are particularly concerning, given that the region will enter its climatological dry season around November.
With the dry conditions expected to extend into 2027, the experts warn that potentially record-breaking heat could develop between March and May.
Governments across the region are also being urged to pay close attention to the risks of heat-related illnesses, as well as vector-borne and water-borne diseases.
