Despite the start of the wet and hurricane season, Barbados is likely to remain in drought for months, with forecasters warning that suppressed rainfall linked to El Niño could extend dry conditions into early next year.

In an official update issued from Bridgetown, the Barbados Meteorological Services (BMS) said that while the change in season typically brings more frequent showers and thunderstorms, persistent El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean are heavily suppressing expected rainfall levels.

El Niño is a recurring climate phenomenon marked by the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. This shift alters global atmospheric circulation patterns, often weakening the moisture-bearing systems that typically bring rainfall to the Caribbean.