Saint Lucia is among other small island developing states grappling with the effects of climate change.

The Atlantic Hurrican Season, which normally starts in June, is expected to commence earlier this year. Saint Lucia Met Services Director Andre Joyeux, says the temperature of the ocean is creating the perfect condition for the formation of storms.

“This time around, we’re expecting that in that shift from the El Nino into La Nina. And a La Nina normally means we’re going to have more named storms than usual. And coupled with that is the warm sea surface temperatures. So the predictions for this year most likely would be for above-normal hurricane season,” Joyeux explained.

The passage of Tropical Storm Bret, which passed north of Saint Lucia in June 2023, caused severe damage to the island’s agricultural sector. TS Bret was among the weakest adverse weather systems.

“In 2023, we had more than 14, which is the average number of named storms. That is above normal. We were spared in some ways because most of the systems did not affect us in a substantial way,” the Met Services Director said.

Saint Lucia’s government is currently engaging lending institutions to obtain climate financing. These loans will help the country recover after a devastating storm.