According to the center, although thermometers will be lower from the end of next month, they will remain higher in most of the region, except in The Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. territories.

However, the forecast suggests the possibility of intense heat in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Windward Islands.

Meanwhile, the CariCOF October-December 2023 Climate Outlook notes that North Atlantic temperatures should remain well above average.

This will continue to fuel unusually strong tropical cyclone activity and heat stress will be amplified through October, which in turn will drive an unprecedented hot season in the Caribbean and could increase rainfall intensity during the peak of the season, the center noted.

However, the moderate to strong El Niño in the Pacific should decrease the frequency of rainfall in Belize and the southern Caribbean, where drought concerns are emerging, the center said.

ef/arm/ro/ifs