Federation battered with more rainfall than expected
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CITIZENS and resident of St. Kitts and Nevis woke up this morning (Jun. 29) to hours of heavy rainfall with thunder and lightning, which has been attributed to a tropical wave that was passing over the Northern Leeward Islands.
That system resulted in ghauts being flooded and report of a vehicle being damaged.
Many people took to social media to share photos and videos as water rushed through the various runoffs in downtown Basseterre.
The weather condition also resulted in the Government issuing an advisory that all of its offices and schools on St. Kitts would be closed for the day.
The Tourism Authority also indicated that its offices would be closed, as the Allure of the Sea had cancelled its call to Port St. Kitts this morning.
In an interview with WINN FM, a representative from the St. Kitts Met Office offered an explanation for the unexpected amount of rain.
“We didn’t anticipate as much rain as we did receive. The forecast initially, when they did their analysis in Antigua, would have been estimating between one to two inches of rainfall.”
He however disclosed that the Federation had received significantly more rainfall, hence the flooding that occurred in St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The early indication, so far, we would have received in excess of five inches of rain recorded at the airport.”
The representative said that with the official forecast not out as yet for this evening, he is expecting that “it would remain cloudy to partly cloudy, with skies overcast with some passing showers and some isolated thunderstorms are possible”.
“We had a tropical wave interacting with an upper-level trough. The tropical wave was moving towards the west, whereas the upper-level trough was moving towards the east. However, they coincide over St. Kitts, over the northern Leeward Islands chain...so you had amplification of the Tropical Wave,” he explained.
