Several studies exist which have found recent changes in the climate in Trinidad and Tobago, especially with respect to temperature trends. Temperatures in Trinidad and Tobago have been found to have increased steadily from 1946 to 1995. More recently, it has been shown that over the last three decades there has been an upward trend in temperatures that is statistically significant and which has been induced by a steady increase in daily minimum temperatures ; this latter finding suggests that nights have become warmer. Other studies are also consistent with the warmer temperatures. Mc Sweeney 3using a Global Climate Model (GCM) found significant increases in the mean annual temperature in Trinidad and Tobago with an increase around 0.6 ^oC since 1960; an average of 0.13 ^oC per decade. The Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS) also found that at Trinidad's, as well as, at Tobago's reference climatological stations, the annual mean air temperature has also warmed over the period 1981-2010 by 0.8 and 0.5 ^oC relative to 1961-1990 and 1971-1990, for Trinidad and Tobago respectively. The observed anomalous warming of 0.27 C per decade at the station in Trinidad and 0.17 ^oC per decade in Tobago are consistent with the IPCC (2007) observed 0.2 ^oC per decade in the Caribbean region.

Rainfall in Trinidad and Tobago has not shown as distinct a change as has been observed with temperatures. It appears that changes in rainfall differ across various parts of the country and over different time periods. During the 1960's to 80's it has been shown that Trinidad and Tobago annual rainfall totals increased, but subsequently decreased onward to the 1990's. More recently, rainfall in Penal in South Trinidad has showed a decreasing trend while at Piarco in the north, an increasing trend was observed. Another recent study conducted on behalf of the UNDP found fractional decreases in Trinidad and Tobago's rainfall over the last half century; however the trend was not statistically significant. The TTMS 8 also found that there has not been any significant change in the annual mean rainfall totals in Trinidad over the period 1981 to 2010 compared to 1961-1990; however, there were larger changes in the annual mean rainfall totals over the latter period. These changes were driven by slight increases in the frequency of extreme dry and wet years, as well as, increases and decreases in extreme wet and dry years rainfall totals respectively. In Tobago however, the rainfall pattern has shown a different behaviour;Tobago's annual mean rainfall has decline by 36.4 mm per decade during the 1981-2010 period compared to the long term average of the 1969 to 1990 period, this was driven primarily by a decrease in the number of years with near normal rainfall.

Strong El Nino events in recent years have resulted in meteorological droughts in Trinidad and Tobago. It has also been shown that the El Nino of 1997/98 and associated drought conditions in Trinidad and Tobago were responsible for the decline in sugar production during that period. The Drought event of 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago resulted in hundreds of acres of natural forest burnt. Drought conditions have also been advanced as the reason for lost of near- shore habitat due to declines in freshwater. This was aided by saline intrusion in the Southern Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago during 2009-2010. Increased sea surface temperatures during the summer of 2005 resulted in severe coral bleaching in Tobago during the summer period. Recent increases in intense rainfall events have been associated with increased flooding in the region including Trinidad and Tobago and this has no doubt impacted fresh water impoundments and water quality. The Caribbean region experienced an average sea level rise of about 10 cm over the twentieth century due to the warming; but this rise is not uniform throughout the region.