HGP Nightly News – Guyana is in the grip of a relentless and record-breaking rainfall crisis and forecasters are warning that the worst is still yet to come. The country’s Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Dr. Garvin Cummings, and senior Meteorologist Eron McPherson delivered a sobering national weather update this week, cautioning that heavy rains are expected to intensify dramatically through the weekend, with some areas already shattering their entire monthly rainfall records in just 24 to 48 hours.
From Region Two all the way to Region Six, communities along Guyana’s coastline are being hammered without mercy. Several weather stations across the coast have recorded staggering amounts of rainfall in an extraordinarily short period of time, with one community, Friendship on the East Bank, logging a jaw-dropping 174 millimeters, more than seven inches of rain, in a single stretch. Riverain communities like Karawab in Region Two and residential areas in Region Four are among the hardest hit, with floodwaters surging into homes and farmlands with frightening speed.
Making matters worse, the country’s drainage infrastructure was simply never built to cope with what is now being thrown at it. “Our drainage system is not designed for that amount of rainfall in that short space of time,” Dr. Cummings said bluntly. “Our system right now is under pressure, the soil is saturated, and any amount of rainfall coming in the next four to five days is going to cause the situation to become really chaotic.” It is a warning that no Guyanese should take lightly.
So what exactly is unleashing this meteorological monster on the country? Senior Meteorologist Eron McPherson explained that a perfect storm of atmospheric forces is conspiring against Guyana. A series of powerful low-level troughs, combined with intense surface convergence and strong upper-level atmospheric dynamics, are feeding a massive moisture plume rolling in off the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time, a cold front that originated along the U.S. coast and pushed deep into the Caribbean is colliding with these systems, forcing it further south than usual. The result is an atmosphere above Guyana that is supercharged, packed with moisture and energy, with nowhere to go but down.
Residents may feel a brief sense of relief on Wednesday, which is forecast to be the driest day of the week, but forecasters are pleading with the public not to let their guard down for even a moment. “You may see a little bit of sunshine,” Dr. Cummings cautioned, “but the forecast is suggesting that Thursday we will return to some more of this type of weather condition. It worsens on Friday and Saturday.” He added that Sunday and Monday may bring no relief either, delivering perhaps his starkest warning of all: “Do not be fooled by a day of calm.”
Authorities are urging all Guyanese, particularly those in low-lying, coastal, and poorly drained communities, to take immediate and serious precautions. Residents are being asked to stay out of floodwaters entirely, as rising waters carry dangerous diseases and hidden hazards, and to ensure they are drinking only safe, uncontaminated water. Farmers are being specifically called upon to act without delay, moving livestock to higher ground, improving drainage on their properties, and harvesting early where possible. Poultry farmers in particular are being urged to relocate their birds and add drainage channels to prevent catastrophic losses.
For health guidance during this crisis, residents can visit the Ministry of Health’s dedicated climate health platform at climatehealth.gy. The Hydrometeorological Service is also urging the public to stay connected through their Facebook page, official website, and RSS alert feeds, which deliver real-time weather warnings directly to phones and computers. With national rainfall records already being broken and the country’s drainage systems strained to their absolute limits, the message from meteorologists is crystal clear, vigilance is not optional. It is essential.
