–more ‘extreme’ weather possible, meteorologists say
–all pumps in action as experts monitor ‘unpredictable’ rainy season

MANY Guyanese were jolted awake in the early hours of the morning on Monday by what many are describing as one of the most intense storms in recent memory.

The unexpected thunderstorm, which tore through several regions with some areas experiencing winds of over 60km/h overnight, left dozens of houses damaged and some with roofs ripped off. Yet, amid the shock, community members wasted no time clearing debris and helping neighbours, while the Guyana Hydrometeorological Service continues to monitor Guyana’s changing weather patterns.

Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Dr. Garvin Cummings confirmed that while Guyana is currently in the height of its rainy season, such extreme weather, though uncommon, can occur. Monday’s storm was one of the more intense events.

“We are in the rainy season, so we expect that there’ll be extreme weather conditions almost at any given time, but last night’s event wasn’t necessarily forecasted as a storm. We did forecast, though, that the Tropical Convergence Zone is in the area, and we did send out a warning for areas experiencing thundershowers, which may bring heavy winds and lightning strikes,” Dr. Cummings explained.

Diving deeper into Monday’s thunderstorm, Dr. Cummings shared that although constant advisories are issued, predicting a storm of this nature remains challenging due to its quickly changing patterns and movements.

“These thunderstorms are not the kind of events that you can forecast well in advance because of their nature. They tend to emerge in a very short space of time, and they can similarly disappear in a very short space of time. [Monday morning’s] event, for example, did not last more than two hours,” he said.

“That’s why before of the season, we hold the outlook forum. We warn people about what is to come to ensure that infrastructure is in order and everything else is in place, especially with respect to agriculture and the agriculture sector too,” he added.

On the matter of precaution, Dr. Cummings shared that during this time, older and poorly constructed buildings are at greater risk of being impacted by violent weather. The best that Guyanese can do as the season continues is to safeguard their homes, and businesses. “From the Hydromet perspective, we give the warnings, we advise people to ensure that they safeguard as much as they could. But if the infrastructure was not constructed properly in the first place, you’ll find that there can be some damage,” he said.

Meteorologists are now closely reviewing data and analysing the storm’s path, which began offshore and made landfall in several regions. “It started in Region Five, on the boundaries of Region Five and Six. It moved inland, came from off the coast, moved inland across Region Four, Region Three, and then onward into Region Two and Region Seven. So, we’re talking about a very small cell that produced a lot of rainfall and high winds. Our meteorologists are still analysing the rainfall data, and we should have some more details in the coming hours or days,” Dr. Cummings stated.

PUMPS ARE FULLY OPERATIONAL

The Ministry of Agriculture is also working to minimise flooding across Guyana, with recent investments in pumps. Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, recently stated that measures have been put in place to mitigate flooding and to prevent the negative impacts usually associated with such a situation.

During a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, he explained that in Georgetown alone there are 15 pump stations, all of which are fully operable and are manned at all times. Further, he said that there are pumps in the different regions that are working to minimise heavy flooding

Minister Mustapha added that the outfalls and sluices across Guyana are being monitored on a 24-hour basis to deal with emergencies during this rainy season.

The agriculture minister further said that there have been reports of water accumulation in some areas, but no major flooding has been recorded as yet.

He noted that all drainage systems and networks are active and if needed, additional pumps will be deployed to help mitigate widespread flooding during this rainy season which is expected to last beyond the regular two-month period.