Sweater sales hot as cold front chills Kingston

By mid-morning in downtown Kingston yesterday, the usual heat had not yet settled in.

Instead, a steady breeze lingered through the streets, keeping jackets on longer than normal and sparking conversation at nearly every corner. A cold front has pushed night-time temperatures in the capital as low as 63 degrees Fahrenheit, a chill many Jamaicans say they are not accustomed to feeling. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica says a strong cold front entering the western Caribbean is expected to bring cooler temperatures, gusty winds and increased rainfall to parts of the island over the next few days, with the system likely to affect weather conditions from Saturday night into early next week.

For vendors downtown, the shift has been immediate and profitable.

"Sale out! Sale out! $500 fi a sweater, come get one before the snow!" shouted Rohan, a clothing vendor on Princess Street. He said demand surged almost overnight.

"Mi sell sweater regular, but this different," Rohan explained, pointing to a thinning rack. "This a faster sale than Christmas time. Normally people ask price and walk off. Now dem just ask size. By midday yesterday, mi nearly done."

But while vendors cash in, the colder temperatures have also sparked uncomfortable conversations about daily living, particularly around access to warm water and basic comfort.

"I nah tell no lie, mi nuh bathe," admitted Mark, a shopper. "Mi just wipe off. The water too cold. Early morning mi stand up and look pon the pipe and say, 'Later.' But later nah come."

He was dressed from head to toe in heavy winter clothing, two layered sweaters, and closed shoe furry boots designed to retain heat and protect against cold temperatures. Other shoppers close by nodded in agreement. For a few commuters, it highlighted deeper concerns about how many Jamaicans cope when temperatures fall.

"Is a lot of people don't have hot water and when you think about it, does it make sense? Jamaica hot all year round, weh we a do wid hot water?" Mark reasoned.

The cold, some argued, has exposed how quickly routines can unravel when basic comforts are missing, even during short-lived weather changes. Tanya, who travels through the city early each morning, said the first few minutes outside are the hardest.

"When the breeze hit yuh face, yuh eye water up," she told THE STAR. "Yuh feel it in yuh hand dem first, especially if yuh holding phone or bag. Is not normal fi Jamaica."

Inside homes, parents said the weather has slowed already busy mornings. Tanya, who is also a mother, said there are sweaters in the house they have not yet been touched.

"The children moving slow, complaining say dem cold, and mi still a rush dem. Some mornings mi just say, 'Alright, reach late.' Mi rather dem warm than on time," she said.

But not everyone is complaining. Some residents say the cooler temperatures are a welcome break from Jamaica's usual heat.

"I actually enjoying it," said Dwayne, who walked through downtown in a light jacket. "Jamaica hot most of the year. This make walking easier, sleeping easier. If this could last the whole year, mi woulda love it."

Until the system passes, sweater vendors continue to cash in, blankets are staying on a little longer, and Kingston residents are doing what they do best - meeting discomfort with humour.

As Rohan scanned the crowd and called out to another group of pedestrians, he laughed.

"Is not snow," he said. "But for Kingston? This cold serious."