Caribbean had heat anomalies and low rainfall, WMO report

GREAT BAY--The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate 2025 report indicates that parts of the Caribbean experienced notable climate stress during the year, with above-average temperatures recorded in parts of Central America and the Caribbean, and unusually dry conditions observed on the Greater Antilles.

According to the report, annual average near-surface temperatures in 2025 were above the 1991-2020 average across most land areas worldwide, with significant warm anomalies affecting several regions, including parts of Central America and the Caribbean.

The report also notes that unusually low precipitation amounts were recorded in several parts of the world during 2025, including the Greater Antilles. This places part of the Caribbean among the areas affected by drier-than-average conditions during the year.

While the global report does not provide a country-by-country breakdown, the findings add to concern about the region’s growing exposure to heat and rainfall stress, especially for islands and coastal territories that are already vulnerable to water shortages, food security pressures, and climate-related economic disruption. The report states that climate change is driving rapid changes in the Earth system, with cascading impacts on human and natural systems where hazards intersect with vulnerability and limited adaptive capacity.

The WMO report places these Caribbean conditions within a broader global pattern of worsening climate indicators. It says 2025 was the second or third warmest year in the 176-year observational record, depending on the dataset used, and that the past eleven years were the eleven warmest on record.

It also reports that ocean heat content reached a new record high in 2025, while global mean sea level remained near record highs and has been rising faster in the more recent part of the satellite record than in earlier decades. These trends are especially important for Caribbean islands because warmer oceans, rising seas, and changing rainfall patterns increase pressure on coastlines, infrastructure, tourism, fisheries, and water security.

In addition, the report says global average ocean surface pH has declined over the past 41 years, underscoring the ongoing problem of ocean acidification. For island economies and marine environments, this carries added significance because coral reefs, fisheries, and coastal ecosystems are highly sensitive to warming seas and chemical changes in ocean water.

WMO notes, however, that the State of the Global Climate 2025 report is a global assessment and does not provide extensive regional or national detail. The organization points readers seeking more region-specific information to its State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report.

‍