When Trinidad and Tobago experiences extreme weather, we report what weather stations record across the country. These values can be maximum and minimum temperatures, wind gusts and sustained winds, or even rainfall totals. However, a frequent question is asked – “What about my area?”
It is a valid concern, but to understand why some areas may be underrepresented with weather data, you should also understand how and where the information we report originates.
In a perfect world, countries would have abundantly automated weather stations with far-reaching coverage across their landmass (and oceans too!) In other parts of the world, this is called a Mesonet – a network of automated weather and environmental monitoring stations designed to observe mesoscale meteorological phenomena. However, equipment that regularly reports atmospheric pressure, temperature, rainfall, and wind, to name a few pieces of data, is quite expensive.
Automated weather stations, which individuals can install at their home, workplace, or elsewhere can range from US$200 to over US$1,300. Calibrated automated weather stations, such as those utilized by the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), can cost even more.
There is also the question of the reliability of the data, as most personal weather stations may not be set up following best-practice guidelines or in the most suitable location. The most reliable data comes from the state-owned stations, but not all produce public-access data. Excluding the 45 publicly reporting private personal weather stations across Trinidad, the country has a network of just under 100 stations.
There are 76 rainfall gauges that are owned, operated, and maintained by the Water Resources Agency (WRA) of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). Still, much of this data is not public access, with many of the rainfall gauges not reporting data completely and some not reporting data since 2020, at least publicly.
There are also eight automated weather stations owned and operated by the TTMS located at Brasso Venado, Caroni, Centeno, Chatham, El Reposo, Penal, San Fernando, and Guayaguayare, as well as two synoptic (manned) stations at the Piarco International Airport and the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport. These TTMS’ owned and operated automated weather station stations generally have public access to data for up to 24 hours through the TTMS. There are notable data gaps at times or complete station commissions.
Additionally, the TTMS has partnered with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the US National Weather Service International Activities Office, producing 3D-Printed Automatic Weather Station (3D-PAWS)with support from the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). To date, ten stations have been deployed across Trinidad (of which eight are operational), with plans for an additional ten to be deployed.
However, through a growing network of weather enthusiasts and businesses across the country, there are now 57 operational weather stations we use to collect weather data, of the 104 stations located across both islands. This includes the TTMS’ eight operational 3D-PAWS sites, their two synoptic stations, and four publicly reporting WRA stations.
This is a substantial increase from 2019 through 2024, where, at times, there were less than 20 stations reported across the country. However, these weather stations are located primarily in population centers where temperatures will be affected by the urban heat island effect, while structures and trees may hinder rainfall and winds.
Where are the stations located?
It’s important to note that while there are over 100 stations reporting, many of these can go down from time to time, with some stations, as mentioned earlier, not reporting data for several months or years.
South Trinidad
Across South Trinidad, rainfall gauges and automated weather stations exist from as far southwest as Granville to as far east as Mayaro and Guayguayare. Within the South Oropouche River Basin, weather stations exist far upstream from Diamond Village, Princes Town, Penal Rock Road, and Barrackpore, while in the Cipero River Basin, weather stations exist at Union Hall and Gulf View. Of the 13 stations/gauges within this region, nine are fully functional, with two partially reporting some weather parameters (rainfall/temperature/winds).
West-Central Trinidad
Across West-Central Trinidad, rainfall gauges and automated weather stations exist in both interior areas near Brasso and the upper Caparo River Basin and near populated areas like Chaguanas, Freeport, and Couva. The Caparo River Basin is the most captured, with stations existing in both the upper and lower areas of the river basin.
However, of the 17 stations/gauges within this region, nine are fully functional, three are partially reporting some weather parameters (rainfall/temperature/winds), while 5 are not reporting data, primarily in the interior area of Central Trinidad, in the upper Caparo River Basin.
North-Central Trinidad
North-Central Trinidad encompasses the Caroni River Basin and the dozens of rivers that move south of the Northern Range, as well as the streams that move north from Central areas. This basin is well covered, with personal weather stations near the initial catchment of the river in Cumuto, with TTMS’ stations along the river basin, supplemented by WRA’s rain gauges along the Northern Range. A number of personal weather stations also exist along the East-West Corridor.
However, of the 19 stations/gauges within this region, 11 are fully functional, two are partially reporting some weather parameters (rainfall/temperature/winds), while six are not reporting data, primarily WRA gauges in upper portions of the Northern Range.
Northwest Trinidad
Northwestern Trinidad has a dense network of weather stations, primarily in the population centers of the Diego Martin Valley and Port of Spain, capturing water that drains into the Diego Martin and St. Ann’s/East Dry River basins best.
These stations, given their urbanized locations, tend to capture some of the warmer temperatures recorded in Trinidad and Tobago due to urban heat island effects.
However, of the 16 stations/gauges within this region, only five are fully functional, two are partially reporting some weather parameters (rainfall/temperature/winds), while nine are not reporting data, primarily personal weather stations, and WRA gauges.
Northeast Trinidad
Historically, weather data has been sparse in Northeast Trinidad (and, to a wider extent, interior central and eastern Trinidad). While many stations and gauges now exist in some of the more remote areas of eastern Trinidad, many are not reporting data, with some stations that were installed just a few months ago not working.
Of the 12 stations/gauges spanning the eastern half of Trinidad, from as north as Toco to as south as Guayaguayare, only three stations are still reporting data as of August 1st, 2023.
Tobago
Similar to the eastern and interior areas of Trinidad, areas of Tobago are underrepresented when it comes to stations across the island. While the TTMS has four automated stations, none are publicly reporting at this time, with the manned synoptic station at Crown Point and a sole personal weather station in Lambeau to only two reporting weather stations on the island.
While there have been significant improvements over the last few decades in getting weather stations more distributed across T&T, if you’d like to help bridge that gap, you can donate to purchase more weather stations to be housed in these more remote areas.
