April 3, 2021

No.144

March 2021
(Back Issues Here)

We had 0.98 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station in March of 2021.  Basically, it has been dry and windy. The reports from around the District of Boquete for March 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 March 2021
Area	Contributors	March 2021	Total 2021
El Santuario	Robert Boyd	2.81	11.28
El Santuario	Rodrigo Marciacq	4.99	11.15
Barriade Las Flores	Bill Brick	1.14	6.89
Jaramillo Arriba	Steve Sarner	2.95	11.90
Jaramillo Arriba	Mark Heyer	1.60	8.40
Jaramillo Central	Dave Nichols	1.37	5.59
Jaramillo Abajo	Don Berkowitz	1.90	4.81
Jaramillo Abajo	Bobi McGann	1.49	5.58
Palo Alto	Nancy Pettersen	6.68	25.01
Valle Escondido	Doug Remsen	1.72	4.41
Brisas  Boquetenas	Austin Perry	1.40	6.80
Brisas Boquetenas	Richard Sturtz	1.26	5.21
Los Molinos	Sela Burkholder	1.66	3.95
Los Molinos	Fred Donelson	1.50	5.93
El Encanto (Volcancito)	Brian Baldwin	0.92	3.88
Cerro Verde (Volcancito)	Charlotte Lintz	1.69	3.87
Santa Lucia	Paula Litt	1.39	3.36
Caldera	Chris Mccall	0.83	3.15
Lucero	Michael Mullin	2.95	8.73
Boquete Country Club	Paul Arrandale	1.03	5.08
Palmira Abajo	Betty Gray	1.10	4.34
Palmira Arriba	Lloyd Cripe	0.98	2.76

The highest rainfall for March 2021 in the District of Boquete was again reported by Nancy Pettersen in the Palo Alto area with 6.68 inches of rain.  Last month I mentioned that this area during the dry season gets the full blast of the Bajareque (mist) blown over the mountains from the Caribbean side and it is like a "magic mister that keeps everything a beautiful green."  I stated that the "Petersen's have a beautiful garden that is automatically watered."  Nancy reminded me that there are also some very dedicated gardeners that have an important part in making the gardens so beautiful!  Thanks to both the mist and the gardeners.

For the Palmira Station, this March's rain was about average.  Based upon our data over the past years since 2007, we have averaged about 1.28 inches in the month of March.  I changed the station rain gauge in February 2013 to a better and probably more accurate professional system.  I think the previous gauge was probably over estimating the amount of rain.  Since 2013 with the better measurement device, we have had more consistent low rates of rain measured in the month of March.  The graph below shows the data.  It appears that we have had a gradual decline in March rains over the years recorded.  However, because of the problems I had with the older rain gauge, I trust the rain data most from 2013 to the present.

   

  

You can look at a graph on this page to see the rain data for all the months over the course of years from 2007 through 2020.  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.

Overall I would rate this year's March as fairly average in its rainfall.  We will probably start getting more rain this month (April) but it usually isn't all that heavy until we get into May which usually brings the harbinger of the rainy season.

We had lots of wind in March which is quite common.  Our average wind during the month of March was 7.31 miles per hour with a max wind of 28.3 miles per hour.  A few trees blew down on our finca.  We had a few power outages.  We are in the process of improving our generator system.

My experience has been that we humans on our own are not all that good in determining whether the current weather is the same or different from the past.  We tend to rate the current weather without any real good way of making comparisons.  The only accurate way to decide is to have good recorded historical data to make the judgment based upon solid data. I only have 14+ years of data in my possession to make the comparisons.  Additionally it is important to have good reliable accurate equipment recording the data.  I do the best I can with what I have, but of course it is not perfect.  I do however think it is better than just "I think" or "I feel" the weather was worst or better this last month!  Humans on their own are not very good weather stations or data set collectors.  That is why we created data loggers and computers!

I heard an interesting report this morning on NPR regarding Local Weather Forecasting. Take a listen.  They point out that normally weather reporters need about a 30 year data set to make predictions.

Chris Mccall is developing a web site where local Ambient Weather Stations are listed on a map graphic and you can click on a station to see the current weather data and history.  He will also have a section where weather matters can be discussed by the station owners.  The site will be available for all.  If you have one of these stations and would like to be listed, please contact him at this email address. I will let you know when his site is up and available to the general public.

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 April-May-June 2021 (green areas).

ETESA's hydrology and meteorology section is predicting that Chiriqui will generally have normal to above normal levels of precipitation from April through June of 2021. You can read their report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link.

Vaccines are being distributed in Panama in what is now called Phase 2 (Elderly).  We are waiting for them to come to our area in Chiriqui.  So far, although we are in the elderly group, they are not available to us in Boquete.  You need to get on the registry and then check regularly to verify your appointment.  We are in the registry but so far no appointments.  We don't really know how soon they will be available to us.  You can read the latest news from the Ministry of Health at this La Prensa link. 

At the moment the worldometer reports 132,242,336 cases worldwide with 2,869,886 deaths and 106,456,595 recovered cases.  The USA has 31,434,467 total cases with 568,869 deaths and 23,960,579 recovered cases.  The Panama report is not clear or reliable.

Vaccinations are progressing at an impressive rate in the U.S..  However, they are not yet out of the woods with this pandemic.  We must continue to use precautions and not get over confident or complacent about the seriousness of this.  Hopefully we will eventually get through this, but it is not over yet.

MONITORING CORONAVIRUS STATUS LINKS 

I came across a photo this last month that really got my attention.  The Finish photographer, J-P Metsavaino spent 12 years and 1,250 hours to create a very special photo of the Milky Way.  I suggest that you read about it and then go to his website and take a meditative closer look. Wow!

Hang in there, the winds will eventually die down and the umbrellas can come out without damaging them.

Lloyd Cripe

lcripe@boqueteweather.com