| February 3, 2024 | No.178 |
January 2024
(Back Issues Here)
We had 2.49 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station during the month of January 2024. It was a dry season month.
Rainfall for January 2024 |
|||
Area |
Contributors |
January 2024 |
Total 2024 |
| El Salto Arriba | Beth Corwin | 1.44 | 1.44 |
El Santuario |
Robert Boyd |
1.04 | 1.07 |
| Palo Alto | Rodrigo Marciacq | 0.77 | 0.77 |
| Los Cabazon | Don Hughes | 0.99 | 0.99 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
3.01 | 3.01 |
| Jaramillo Arriba | Mark Heyer | 0.62 | 0.62 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Don Berkowitz |
4.73 | 4.73 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
John McGann |
3.89 | 3.89 |
| Palo Alto | Nancy Pettersen | 2.20 | 2.20 |
| Valle Escondido | Gisela Remsen | 0.91 | 0.91 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Dennis Decorte | 1.50 | 1.50 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Richard Sturz | 1.64 | 1.64 |
| El Encanto (Volcancito) | Brian Baldwin | 0.76 | 0.76 |
Cerro Verde (Volcancito) |
Charlotte Lintz |
0.97 | 0.97 |
Santa Lucia |
Paula Litt |
1.15 | 1.15 |
| Caldera | Chris McCall | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Lucero | Mike Joy | 2.33 | 2.33 |
Boquete Country Club |
Paul Arrandale |
2.29 | 2.29 |
| Palmira Abajo | Andrea Boraine | 4.60 | 4.60 |
| Palmira Abajo | Dave Nichols | 2.97 | 2.97 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
2.49 | 2.49 |
| N/A = Not Available | |||
Throughout the District of Boquete the rain for January 2024 was low ranging from a high of 4.73 inches as reported by Don Berkowitz in Jaramillo Abajo to a low of 0.05 inches (close to none) as reported by Chris McCall in Caldera.
Looking at past data from the Palmira Arriba Station over a span of 17 years, the average rainfall for the month of January has been 0.66 inches with a range between 0.00 inches to 3.18 inches. January is typically a low rain month during the Dry Season.
Average winds were 7.15 mph with maximum winds of 29.6 mph at the Palmira Arriba Station. Winds of course vary depending where you are in the District. Whenever I get gas at the Terpel station in Alto Boquete I leave my hat in the vehicle and hang on to the door as I get out hoping it won't blow the door off! They get some strong winds in that location. Dennis Decorte tells me that at his place in Brisas Boquetenas he has clocked max winds between 50 and 70 mph. Now we know why that area is call "Brisas."
If you haven't read it, go to the article in the Climate Section on Understanding Boquete Weather and Climate and read what a naturalist said about the winds between David and Boquete in March of 1911. My mechanic in Alto Boquete told me this week that he remembers the winds in the past being stronger when he was younger. His father built one of the first houses in Alto Boquete and had to anchor the roofs with lots of rebar and welding to keep the roofs from blowing off. Winds are a reality of the Dry Season blowing in from the NE due to large high and low air masses from the Atlantic to the Equator. They are called the NE Trade Winds. I often tell people to not complain about them because without them Columbus probably would not have gotten to Panama and we might not be here now!
The average temperature in January was 70.0 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 58.8 and a high of 84.0. At times it felt quite hot here in Palmira in the early afternoon.
The latest ENSO Cycle Report is saying that "El Niño conditions are observed. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are above average across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The tropical Pacific atmospheric anomalies are consistent with El Niño. El Niño is expected to continue for the next several seasons, with ENSO-neutral favored during April-June 2024 (73% chance)."
Here is a link to a source to better understand El Niño. If you need some help interpreting this, give this a read and you will learn a lot about this important weather phenomenon that affects global weather. It has more effect upon the Northern Latitudes than it has upon us here in the tropics. From this article it appears that the effects on our area will be "warm and dry."
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) (select South America from the Region menu) is predicting that Panama will probably have above normal precipitation during the months of February-March-April 2024 (light green).
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IMHPA's documents section predicts that the expected rainfall for February and March in Panama will be a mix of normal to below normal levels. You can read their report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link.
We had a surprise this week with the visit to our Finca of a Great Egret. It is the first time we have ever seen one here on our place although we have often seen them near water in various parts of Panama. This is a large bird usually found near water ways and wetlands. It is much larger than the Cattle Egret that you commonly see around cattle.
Why the Great Egret landed on our place we do not know. It walking around in our large yard area. It wondered around and then took off. It came back the next day and did the same thing. Perhaps it was taking a rest or maybe looking for insects although it didn't appear to be eating. This is a first for us here on the farm and a big surprise.
Put the umbrellas away. Expect more winds in February and March! Try to enjoy the dry!
Lloyd Cripe