Flood alleviation agencies are being urged to ramp up preparations ahead of the wet season.

The call came from Met Service Meteorologist Ian Wallace who spoke at today’s National Climate Outlook Forum.

He explained that the forecast is for a mostly near normal wet season with June, August and November likely to be the wettest months.

Flood potential, he added, is moderately higher in well-known flood-prone areas in northeast, northwest and south Trinidad, as well as Tobago.

Turning to the hurricane season, there is a 58% chance that it will be above average, with six storms and three hurricanes most likely to develop in Met Service’s area of interest.

Mr Wallace warned that it only takes one storm or hurricane to cause devastation and urged persons to increase preparations.

Also speaking at the forum, Meteorologist Gary Benjamin says T&T is entering the peak of the Sahara dust haze season.

He noted that for the period May to July, the average number of dust haze days is 44.

Mr Benjamin urged citizens to get accustomed to preparing for the dust, as they would with any other weather phenomenon.