Gusty winds ripped off roofs, downed trees and caused power outages across Trinidad yesterday afternoon.
Intense thunderstorms and showers began moving across parts of Southern Trinidad shortly after midday. Strong winds caused tree damage at Los Iros, Icacos, and Coora Road, Siparia. A tree also fell across the Southern Main Road, Vessigny, temporarily blocking the major roadway.
As the inclement weather moved northward, gusty winds brought down trees across parts of Couva, Roystonia, Freeport, and parts of Chaguanas. Wind gusts between 40 kph to 50 kph were recorded in the area, where one roof was partially blown off in Macaulay Park, California.
The Emergency Response Team of the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation was assisting residents late last night with roof repairs.
Thunderstorm activity intensified across Northern Trinidad, producing violent rainfall along the East-West Corridor, with street flooding occurring in Valsayn, St Joseph, and San Juan.
Generally, most areas saw less than 10 millimetres, with highly isolated totals up to 40 millimetres (1.5 inches) occurring across Trinidad. Gusty winds did not spare the region, with several downed trees blocking roadways and knocking out power to some.
A roof flies off a home in Couva during severe weather yesterday.
In Paramin, along the Morne Coco Road, a large tree took down power lines, rendering the roadway impassable through much of the day. A similar scene occurred on Saddle Road, Maraval and in Port-of-Spain, with two large trees falling on the Brian Lara Promenade, also taking down power lines.
Workers from the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service and the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission responded to assist in the clearing. Fallen trees were also an issue along the North Coast Road, causing several traffic disruptions in three areas where the roadway was temporarily impassable.
Wednesday’s weather was due to the influence of a large tropical disturbance northwest of Trinidad and Tobago on our wind regime. Winds were anomalously from the south instead of the east. This resulted in showers and thunderstorms moving from the south to the north, intensifying and bringing inclement weather mainly to Trinidad.
Another band of moisture associated with this tropical disturbance is expected to traverse T&T tomorrow, with winds from the southeast. This will bring additional showers and thunderstorms to both islands, with the threat of heavy rainfall triggering street/flash flooding. Gusty winds and lightning may also bring power dips, tree damage, and roof damage. There are no alerts, watches or warnings in effect for T&T at this time.