| March 3, 2021 | No.143 |
February 2021
(Back Issues Here)
We had 1.29 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station in February of 2021. The reports from around the District of Boquete for February indicate a low rain fall with variation in amount within the Corregimientos (Subdistricts) as expected in the dry season. We had lots of wind in our location which is also expected this time of year.
Rainfall for
February 2021 |
|||
Area |
Contributors |
February 2021 |
Total 2021 |
El Santuario |
Robert Boyd |
4.28 | 8.47 |
| El Santuario | Rodrigo Marciacq | 3.26 | 6.16 |
| Barriade Las Flores | Bill Brick | 3.09 | 5.75 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
4.86 | 8.95 |
| Jaramillo Arriba | Mark Heyer | 2.60 | 6.80 |
| Jaramillo Central | Dave Nichols | 1.67 | 4.22 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Don Berkowitz |
2.39 | 2.91 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Bobi McGann |
2.69 | 4.09 |
| Palo Alto | Nancy Pettersen | 8.06 | 18.33 |
| Valle Escondido | Doug Remsen | 1.72 | 2.42 |
Brisas Boquetenas |
Austin Perry |
5.10 | 5.40 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Richard Sturtz | 3.48 | 3.95 |
Los Molinos |
Sela Burkholder |
1.78 | 2.29 |
| Los Molinos | Fred Donelson | 3.98 | 4.43 |
| El Encanto (Volcancito) | Brian Baldwin | 1.94 | 2.96 |
Cerro Verde (Volcancito) |
Charlotte Lintz |
1.46 | 2.18 |
Santa Lucia |
Paula Litt |
1.19 | 1.97 |
| Caldera | Chris Mccall | 2.19 | 2.32 |
Lucero |
Michael Mullin |
3.98 | 5.78 |
Boquete Country Club |
Paul Arrandale |
3.22 | 4.05 |
Palmira Abajo |
Betty Gray |
2.97 | 3.43 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
1.29 | 1.78 |
For the Palmira Station, February's rain was about average based upon our data over the past years. We have averaged 1.21 inches in the month of February since 2007. You can see it on this graphic. Some years we have had no rain whatsoever in February! After all, it is the dry season. This is our summer. You can also look at the tables in the Climate Section to see what rains we have had in various months over the course of 14 years as well as other weather variables.
February is often one of the windiest months. Our winds here in Palmira Arriba this last month averaged 6.79 mph with a recorded max wind of 31.8 mph. The winds vary depending upon the location in Boquete but it is generally windy. People who come here to live are often surprised by the wind as it is not usually mentioned by the realtors. I don't have specific wind data for the other Boquete locations but have experience visiting the various Corregimientos (subdistricts). Some areas are very windy. Because of the wind, we often get power outages from trees and branches falling on the power lines. We are always glad to have a generator for emergency power through these outages.
The highest rainfall for February 2021 was reported by Nancy Pettersen in the Palo Alto area with 8.06 inches. As I have mentioned before, this area gets the full blast of the Bajareque (mist) blown over the mountains from the Caribbean side. This is like a magic mister that keeps everything a beautiful green. The Petersen's have a beautiful garden that is automatically watered.
Again, thanks to all of the rain data contributors. Your dedication to collecting this data and sharing it with the Boquete Community is greatly appreciated. While some have stations, most of you do it manually so it requires vigilant diligence.
The latest ENSO Cycle Report is saying that "La Niña is present. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are below average from the westcentral to eastern Pacific Ocean. The tropical atmospheric circulation is consistent with La Niña. There is a ~60% chance of a transition from La Niña to ENSO-Neutral during the Northern Hemisphere spring 2021 (April-June)."
Here is a link to a source for understanding El Niño. If you need some help with this, give this a read and you will learn a lot about this important weather phenomenon.
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) (select South America from the Region menu) is predicting that parts of Panama will have a 50% probability of above normal levels precipitation for the months of March-April-May 2021 (green areas).
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ETESA's hydrology and meteorology section is predicting that Chiriqui will generally have normal levels of precipitation from February through April of 2021 with a few areas with above normal precipitation. You can read their report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link.
Vaccines are now being distributed in Panama in what is now called Phase 2 (Elderly). They are currently administering the vaccine in the Providence of Panama, but the vaccine will soon come to Chiriqui. You need to get on the registry and then check regularly to verify your appointment. You can read more details about this at this La Prensa link.
Despite the beginning and hopes of vaccines, the Pandemic continues and we need to continue following the rules of wearing masks and keeping social distance. This is not the time to relax the rules.
At the moment the worldometer reports 116,072,776 cases worldwide with 2,577,001 deaths and 91,759,205 recovered cases. The USA has 29,498,207 total cases with 532,542 deaths and 20,045,660 recovered cases. The Panama report is not clear or reliable.
MONITORING CORONAVIRUS STATUS LINKS
I know that you are probably wondering when the winds will stop and you can just enjoy the sun. The winds will continue through this month and when they do calm, it won't be long until the rains gradually begin again. Then we will be complaining about the rain and wondering when it will stop. Well it will stop when the winds kick-up again in December. Right now, try to stop complaining and keep the umbrellas secure and safe.
Meanwhile, the current benefits of the winds and Bajareque (mist) from the Caribbean are some incredible rainbows. Here is one we saw looking toward the east from our finca in Palmira last Saturday. Wow! Check it out.
Lloyd Cripe