Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697798903560.pdf (Dominica)
A CARIBBEAN AGRO-CLIMATIC BULLETIN OF THE CARISAM FEBRUARY 2018 CARIBBEAN AGRO-CLIMATIC BULLETIN OF THE CARISAM A joint bulletin of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and the Caribbe- an Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH).

As of May 2017, the previous monthly CAMI bulletin transitions into the Caribbean Agro-Climatic Bulletin of the CariSAM.
FEBUARY 2018 • VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 9 KEY MESSAGES Rainfall totals are forecast to be high enough to prevent drought from being a major concern in the Caribbean during this relatively cool dry season, with the likely exception of southern Haïti.

Higher than usual number of wet days and wet spells could be a reality from Dominica southwards.
However, the chance of having at least one 15-day dry spell is high across the north- western territories of the Caribbean as the expectation of be- low– to normal rainfall totals is likely.

DECEMBER IN REVIEW Mixed rainfall conditions were experienced in the islands of the eastern Caribbean for December.
Trinidad was very to excep- tionally wet; Tobago slight to very wet; Grenada normal; Barba- dos normal to slightly wet; St. Vincent normal; St. Lucia moder- ate to very wet; Martinique normal to exceptionally wet; Domi- nica moderate to exceptionally wet; Guadeloupe normal to ex- tremely dry; Antigua slightly wet; St. Kitts slight to moderately wet; St. Maarten moderately dry; and St. Croix moderately wet.
Conditions in the Guianas ranged from severely dry in western Guyana to exceptionally wet in parts of French Guiana, but with most of the region normal to slightly dry.

Aruba was moderately dry, but Curacao normal.

Puerto Rico was predominantly slightly dry.

Most of Hispaniola was normal except eastern Dominican Republic that was slight to moderately dry and the southwestern tip of Haiti that was slightly dry.
Conditions in Jamaica ranged from normal in the east and west to exceptionally wet in the south; while Grand Cayman was normal.

Conditions in Cuba ranged from severely dry in the west to slightly wet in east central areas, while for Belize they were pre- dominantly normal apart from parts of the extreme west that ABOUT CariSAM were slightly dry and in the extreme southeast that were slight to moderately wet.
For December, there is a clear distinction between the eastern and western Caribbean, with relative increasing wetness in the east and increasing dryness in the west.

December 2017 SPI (left) and SPEI Differ- ence (below) Read more at https:// rcc.cimh.edu.
bb/spi- monitor/ AGRI-NEWS The Caribbean Development Bank has approved funding to support climate smart agriculture and enterprise business de- velopment https:// caribbeannewsservice.com/now/category/agriculture/) in Grenada (read more at The Caribbean Society for Agricultural Meteorology (CariSAM) is an online platform that hosts forums, pro- vided online weather and climate information for agro-meteorologists, and much more.
Agricultural inter- ests can register and access relevant information and be a part of future capacity building exercises, and more.

Visit us at: www.carisam.cimh.edu.bb A CARIBBEAN AGRO-CLIMATIC BULLETIN OF THE CARISAM FEBRUARY 2018 REGIONAL OUTLOOKS FEBRUARY—MARCH—APRIL 2018 Rainfall totals are likely to be above- to normal in Guyana, the Leeward Islands and Windward Islands, but below- to normal in the Caymans and Cuba.
There is little information to be communicated with respect to the other territories.

Flash flood and long-term flooding from wet spells are of no major concern in the upcoming period, February through April.

However, the chance of having at least three 7-day dry spells or at least one 15-day dry spell is above to normal for the territories of The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamai- ca, The Cayman Islands and Belize, the ABC Islands and Guyana.

Maximum Temperature (right) and Minimum Temperature (below) N.B.
The darker the the color greater chance of or increasing decreasing tem- perature Owing to a cooler winter season, temperatures will feel cool enough for most even though both day and night-time tem- peratures in the Caribbean are likely to be above- to normal.

There are no concerns for short-term drought across the re- gion.

However there remains the concern for long-term drought (until the end of May 2018) for the southern portion of Haiti.
Visit https://rcc.cimh.edu.bb/long-range- forecasts/caricof-climate-outlooks/ CLIMATE-SMART ADVISORIES The incidence of pests and diseases (e.g.

bacterial leaf dis- eases and water mold) could be an issue in territories where there is above normal rainfall.

Follow the guidelines from your local agricultural representatives to effectively control pests and diseases.

Some citrus crops may suffer root damage and yellowing of foliage due to excess soil wetness.
Alternately, periods of dry spells may result in new growth and blooms.

Cooler night-time temperatures may favour pollen viability and could give rise to increased crop production.

In regions where rainfall amounts are likely to be reduced, techniques such as mulching could be employed so as to conserve soil moisture.

Did you know???

Bodi (Vigna unguiculata ssp.

sesquipedalis) is a legume that replenishes soil nitrogen used up by other crops.

It is there- fore an excellent choice for crop rotation.
Bodi is easily grown throughout the year.

Three to four plants will supply enough fruit (pods) for the average home.

Bodi contains protein, fibre, carbohydrates, iron, calcium, vitamins A and B.
Read more on “How to grow Bodi” at http://www.agriculture.gov.tt/images/tips/how-to-grow- bodi.pdf Disclaimer The information contained herein is provided with the un- derstanding that the CARDI, and the CIMH make no warran- ties, either expressed or implied concerning the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of said information.

This bulletin provides a broad overview of climate conditions up to 6 months in advance.
It is recommended that stake- holders should use this information in combination with nearer term weather forecasts to guide operational decision making.

The bulletin may be freely used by the public with appropriate acknowledgement of its source but shall not be modified in content and then presented as original material.
CONTACT US: Adrian Trotman Agro-meteorologist/ Chief of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, CIMH Email: atrotman@cimh.edu.bb Shontelle Stoute Technical Officer, CIMH Rasheeda Hall-Hanson CARDI Email: sstoute@cimh.edu.bb Email: rhhanson@cardi.org