The Caribbean is being urged to step up preparations for worsening heat and drought as El Niño strengthens and potentially severe climate extremes loom across the region.
According to a press release from The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), August to October is the peak of the region’s Heat Season, making the increasingly dry conditions particularly concerning ahead of the climatological Dry Season around November.
CIMH Climatologist Dr. Cedric Van Meerbeeck said El Niño strengthened rapidly from weak to moderate between May and July 2026. Forecasts now indicate very strong conditions during October to December, with the event likely to persist into March 2027.
