Saint Lucians have received advice to maintain their vigilance despite the official Atlantic Hurricane Season ending on November 30.
Director of Meteorological Services Andre Joyeux said it was not necessarily a time to breathe easy and relax, even though Saint Lucia has been spared the worst.
He recalled that the 2013 Christmas Eve trough caused flooding and loss of life in Saint Lucia.
The Island suffered massive damage to infrastructure, including nine bridges and several roads, which remained impassable for weeks after the disaster.
In addition, the freak weather system impacted agriculture and damaged school buildings.
Joyeux noted that tropical systems could still form, although the official 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season was ending.
As a result, he urged Saint Lucia residents to continue monitoring news from the Meteorological Services and the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO).
Joyeux also observed that there could be other adverse effects apart from rainfall from upper-level troughs and tropical storms.
The Meteorological Services Director mentioned Saharan dust, which could worsen respiratory conditions.
He noted that the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season spared Saint Lucia the worst.
However, the Island felt the effects of two systems, Tropical Storms Bret and Phillipe.
Bret impacted agriculture, destroying over seventy-five percent of bananas on June 22.
Philippe passed to Saint Lucia’s north but brought flooding.
“Tropical Storm Tammy passed very close to us, but we did not feel any adverse effects,” Joyeux told St. Lucia Times.
He explained that the initial prediction was for a below-average season, but there was a later upgrade.
The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season produced nineteen named storms.
Seven became hurricanes, and three were major ones.
