The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A meteorologist warned yesterday that The Bahamas could face more frequent heat advisories this summer as drier conditions push heat index values into dangerous territory across several northern and northwestern islands.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Department of Meteorology issued a heat health bulletin yesterday advising that heat index values between 102 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit are expected in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Bimini, the Berry Islands, Andros and Eleuthera.

Jeffrey Simmons, director of meteorology at the Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network, said heat advisories are usually issued for five to seven days, but that does not mean extreme heat will end when the advisory period expires.
He said officials are expected to keep updating the advisories every two to three days as conditions develop.

“You know, this is June, and we feel the heat around here for the next three months, July, August, and September. This is now summer,” he said.

Mr Simmons said Andros could feel some of the strongest effects from the latest heat wave, though several other islands are also expected to experience high temperatures.

“Andros really a hot spot, you know, throughout the summer months as its been so always. They’ll feel a lot of heat there, and more like us will get some of the highest temperature recorded, but all of the islands will experience, especially Abaco, Grand Bahama, New Providence.”

He linked the conditions to El Niño, a climate phenomenon that he said typically brings drier weather to the region.

“With El Niño in our areas, usually drier and all of that. So you'll get the heat, and it's going to be dry also. It's gonna be a long summer. We’re just getting started.”
However, Mr Simmons stopped short of saying El Niño will make this summer hotter than last year.

“I wouldn’t say hotter. In addition to being it's going to be hot. We don't expect much rain, much moisture around to cool us down much. That's a possibility because you bump an extra half a degree or two, half a degree or one degree, you know above average for this year over last year.”

A heat wave refers to an extended period of hot weather, while the heat index measures how hot it feels when humidity is factored into the temperature.