Trinidad hit by weather system, CAL cancels flights

(Trinidad Express) Some farmers were flooded out, Caribbean Airlines cancelled flights and several streets, especially in East Trinidad, were under water as a large area of disturbed weather lumbered through the southern Caribbean yesterday.

There was heavy rain and gusty winds in Tobago, with thunder and lightning, but no damage was reported up to press time last night.

According to the Meteorological Services, “investigations by the Hurricane Hunter aircraft have indicated that the system has not developed into a tropical cyclone at this time. Its movement is toward the north-west near 25 kmph while environmental conditions will favour further development as it enters the Eastern Caribbean Sea”.

Reports out of Barbados were that it felt the brunt of the system with heavy rains yesterday, but around 5 p.m. the system was said to be 100 miles away from Dominica.

In Trinidad, in areas such as Toco, Sangre Grande, Arima, Caura and Tacarigua, there were reports of heavy rains which caused flash flooding, but the flood water quickly drained off.

And South Trinidad was not spared, with heavy rain, flooding, gusty winds and intense lightning reported in several areas.

Caribbean Airlines cancelled flights to and from Barbados, re-scheduling them for today.

According to a release from the airline, flights BW 406 and BW 407, scheduled to depart Piarco yesterday, have instead been re-scheduled today as follows: “BW 3406 will depart Trinidad at 3.40 p.m. arriving into Barbados at 4.35 p.m.; BW 3407 will depart Barbados at 5.25 p.m. arriving into Trinidad at 6.20 p.m., and BW 526 will depart Trinidad at 8.30 p.m. arriving into Guyana at 9.55 p.m.”