When Trinidad and Tobago experiences extreme weather, we report the readings from weather stations across the country. These values can be maximum and minimum temperatures, wind gusts and sustained winds, or even rainfall totals. However, a common question is: “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 an abundance of automated weather stations with far-reaching coverage across their landmasses (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, 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 data reliability, as most personal weather stations may not be set up according to best-practice guidelines or in the most suitable location. The most reliable data come from the state-owned stations, but not all of them produce public-access data.
As of June 2026, Trinidad and Tobago Weather Center is compiling publicly available data from at least 160 (total) weather stations, ambient air quality monitoring stations, and rainfall/streamflow gauges located across the country, including official networks operated by the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), and the Water and Sewerage Authority – Water Resources Agency (WRA).
It is provided as preliminary information. The Trinidad and Tobago Weather Center makes no warranties, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability, and does not own the underlying data. Values are subject to quality-control revision, and station positions are approximate. Personal weather station locations are shown at reduced precision to protect contributor privacy.
If you own a weather station and would like to contribute data, or if you are a researcher looking for data, get in touch.
