Dale C. S. Destin – Published 09 February 2024, Updated 10 February 2024 – February has brought unprecedented rainfall records to Antigua this week. The downpours witnessed were nothing short of historic, shattering previous records and leaving a significant mark in the meteorological books.
On Wednesday and Thursday (February 7 and 8, 2024), rainfall totals soared to remarkable heights at the V. C. Bird International Airport (VCBIA). Wednesday’s mini deluge reached 49.4 mm (1.94 in), while Thursday’s rainfall measured an astonishing 58.9 mm (2.32 in), both surpassing the previous one-day rainfall record.
Thursday, February 8, 2024, now stands as the wettest day ever recorded in February, eclipsing the previous record set back in 1982 with a mere 39.0 mm (1.54 in).
The likelihood of experiencing such extreme precipitation in February, especially with 58.9 mm, is remarkably slim, clocking in at less than 0.2 percent (0.177%). Statistically, an event of this magnitude occurs once every 565 years, on average.
Putting the record-breaking rainfall of Thursday into perspective, it surpassed the rainfall of 69 out of the previous 96 full Februarys on record at VCBIA. Remarkably, yesterday’s rainfall exceeded that of 393 out of the 1153 total months on record at the Airport.
To further illustrate the rarity, the rainfall on February 8 surpassed the cumulative rainfall for the entire month of January 2024.
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