Caribbean Countries Building Weather Warnings That Lead to Timely Action

Across the Caribbean, the number of countries meeting Global Basic Observing Network requirements has risen from five to nine, increasing the observations available to national, regional and global forecasting systems.

A simulated tropical storm in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines brought more than heavy rain. Participants in an emergency exercise had to contend with flooding, landslides, blocked roads and misinformation, then consider how to organise evacuations and communicate with the public as conditions worsened. The exercise put a practical question at the centre of the response: would a weather warning tell people enough about the danger, when it would arrive and what they should do?

Through the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Caribbean 2.0 project, countries are working to close those gaps. Better observations, stronger forecasting services and closer cooperation between weather agencies and disaster authorities support the Early Warnings for All initiative, helping national systems deliver reliable warnings that lead to timely action.

Better warnings begin with reliable observations

Across the Caribbean, the number of countries meeting Global Basic Observing Network requirements has risen from five to nine, increasing the observations available to national, regional and global forecasting systems.

The WMO Information System 2.0 is enabling faster exchanges of data between countries. The Severe Weather Forecasting Programme has also expanded throughout the Caribbean basin, supporting forecasts of tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, flash floods and other dangerous conditions.

In Belize, the importance of functioning equipment became clear when a weather radar failed during hurricane season. With CREWS support, local technicians diagnosed the fault, repaired the equipment and recalibrated it, restoring a critical source of severe-weather information and gaining experience they can use when future problems arise.

National strategic planning has also advanced in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago. This helps meteorological and hydrological services set priorities, clarify responsibilities and plan investments beyond their immediate needs.

Telling people what the weather could mean for them

A forecast of heavy rain becomes more useful when it explains which roads could flood, which communities might be cut off and what protective action people should take. Impact-based forecasting brings those consequences into the warning process.

In Jamaica, a warning pipeline using the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), SmartMet and SmartAlert displays real-time, map-based small-craft warnings, tropical storm alerts and flash-flood watches through the Meteorological Service website and Jamaica Weather application.

CAP is an international standard for issuing consistent warnings across different communication channels. Its use is expanding across the region alongside stronger coordination between meteorological services, disaster authorities and other agencies.

In August 2026, CREWS Caribbean 2.0 supported workshops on CAP and impact-based forecasting in Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Participants used the WMO CAP Composer to develop alerts identifying expected impacts, people and places at risk, and recommended actions.

They examined who should prepare, authorise, distribute, update and cancel each warning. Approved message templates, clearer operating procedures and regular exercises involving several agencies emerged as priorities.

The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines storm simulation showed why alerts need timing, expected impacts, emergency contacts, shelter details and evacuation instructions. Follow-up priorities include a national CAP community of practice and an operational workflow connecting the Meteorological Service, National Emergency Management Organisation and other key sectors.

Jamaica's workshop focused on bringing disaster management, public works, electricity and agriculture partners more fully into the warning process.

Getting clear messages through before a crisis deepens

Even a well-prepared warning can lose valuable time on its journey to the public. A separate CREWS-supported exercise in the Turks and Caicos Islands examined that journey, bringing weather and disaster management authorities together with government communicators and media representatives.

Participants identified communication bottlenecks, clarified responsibilities and agreed to develop emergency messages in advance, so wording and approvals would cause fewer delays during a crisis. Broadcasters and journalists have an important role in reaching vulnerable communities through familiar, trusted sources. Their involvement also helps technical agencies spot language that may be difficult for the public to understand.

Across the Caribbean, the work connects the observations behind a forecast with the decisions people face when danger approaches. Turning workshop agreements into everyday practice will help ensure that the next warning arrives with clear instructions and enough time to act.