| April 3, 2012 | No. 49 |
March 2012
I posted the March weather data for the Palmira Weather Station today. We had 2.6 inches of rain recorded for the month of March here at the Palmira Station. Terry Zach in El Santuario reports 10.15 inches of rain. Steve Sarner in Jaramillo Arriba reports 4.33 inches. Sela Burkholder in Jaramillo Abajo reports 2.58 inches. Craig Bennett in Los Naranjos reports 5.79 inches. Here is the list from least to most rainfall ifor the month of February 2012:
Rainfall for March 2012 |
||
| Jaramillo Abajo | Sela Burkholder | 2.58 |
| Palmira Arriba | Lloyd Cripe | 2.60 |
| Jaramillo Arriba | Steve Sarner | 4.33 |
| Los Naranjos | Craig Bennett | 5.79 |
| El Santuario | Terry Zach | 10.15 |
The NE Trade winds continued to blow throughout March. Many were asking if the winds would ever go away. For a while, I thought they wouldn't but the last week of March they started to subside. We also started to see more clouds and moisture building up in the air. Some thunderstorm activity started building up in the afternoons in the David area. As I am writing this update, we started to get some rain here in Palmira this afternoon. The station at 3:00PM is reading a total of 1.22 inches of rain. It is much welcomed. The plants should begin to smile and the birds have been singing.
A look at the current Infrared Satellite image clearly shows a build-up of moisture over our area:
The Unifed Surface Analysis Chart shows the ITCZ (candy cane graphic line) spaning both sides of our region. The month of April is usually a gradual transition into the rainy season which is daily becoming more evident. We will be into the rainy season in full force in the month of May. This means a lot less wind but a lot more moisture.
The ENSO is still in a La Niña condition but is weakening and it is expected to be in a neutral condition by the end of April 2012. Here is the link to the latest La Niña report.
For information from the National Weather Service JetStream - Online School for Weather regarding the Weather Impacts of ENSO visit their web page.
If interested, you can monitor the status of La Niña and get weekly updates at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center at this link.
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) is not reporting any unusual probabilities of precipitation for our region for April through May.
As the rain starts to come, the bird activity increases. It is time to nest and feed those new chicks with the rich supply of insects that develop with the rain. We are hearing and seeing a lot more birds on our farm. A Mountain Elaenia built a nest near our house that we are watching. Here is a link to a few photos of her nest building and first egg. All kinds of things happen in the rain forests with the beginning of the rainy season.
Time to bring out those umbrellas and check them out. If it is in bad repair, the cheapskates can patch them with duct tape or cover them with a big garbage bag to get by. I presonally recommend a trip to PriceSmart to get a big new one!
Lloyd Cripe