| May 5, 2019 | No.121 |
April 2019
(Back Issues Here)
April 2019 brought some much needed rain to the Palmira Station. The reports from around the District of Boquete for April generally indicate increased precipitation:
Rainfall for
April 2019 |
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Area |
Contributors |
April |
Total 2019 |
El Santuario |
Terry Zach |
2.01 | 3.09 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
4.02 | 5.45 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Don Berkowitz |
5.66 | 9.73 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Bobi McGann |
4.74 | 5.10 |
El Salto Arriba |
Rodrigo Marciacq |
3.97 | 4.07 |
Brisas Boquetenas |
Austin Perry |
8.25 | 9.95 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Richard Sturtz | 9.89 | 11.76 |
Los Molinos |
Sela Burkholder |
8.57 | 11.48 |
| Los Molinos | Fred Donelson | 8.97 | 9.16 |
Santa Lucia |
Paula Litt |
3.41 | 3.49 |
Lucero (Cielo Paraiso) |
Michael Mullin |
6.87 | 9.47 |
Cerro Verde |
Charlotte Lintz |
4.26 | 5.29 |
Boquete Country Club |
Paul Arrandale |
6.16 | 6.31 |
Palmira Abajo |
Betty Gray |
5.23 | 5.24 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
5.54 |
5.70 |
n/a = not currently available but will be posted when available |
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Thanks again to all the volunteer rainfall data collectors. We really appreciate your help to better understand micro rain climates in the Boquete District.
The monthly rainfall at our Palmira Arriba station was 5.54 inches. The coffee trees enjoyed this refreshing moisture and quickly went into full bloom.
Compared to the data for 13 previous years at our station, this months rain is near average. The average over the years for the month of April is 6.04 inches with a standard deviation of 5.08 inches and a range between 0.28 to 16.23 inches. There have been some years with more and some years with less rain in April than we had this month, but we are in average range. Check out the data the over the past years. You can also look at the tables in the Climate Section to see what rains we have had in April over the years.
Previously, I evaluated "Whether or not the last 4+ months (the main part of the Dry Season) have been drier than normal?" The answer has been yes, it is drier. We are still behind for the year in total annual moisture, but it appears that we are moving into the rainy season and May will likely bring more rain.
A recent Associated Press news article discusses problems facing the Panama Canal system water levels due to the low rainfall. Large ships are now required to carry lessor loads of cargo because of lower water levels. This means less revenues for Panama. This can have a significant impact upon revenues unless the Gatun Lake water level improves. Let's hope this improves. Sarah Terry shared an additional article from News Room Panama about problems related to the canal system's low water level.
The latest ENSO Cycle Report is now saying that "El Niño is present. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are above average across most of the Pacific Ocean. The pattern of anomalous convection and winds are consistent with El Niño. A weak El Niño is likely to continue through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2019 (65% chance) and possibly fall (50-55% chance)."
As mentioned before, dry weather in this area of the world is often associated with the El Niño conditions which are still present. Here is an excellent source for understanding El Niño. Give it 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 reporting the following precipitation predictions for May_June_July of 2019. Note the prediction of below normal precipitation for most of Panama (mostly yellow to some brown).
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ETESA's, hydrology and meteorology section is predicting that Chiriqui will have normal to below normal levels of precipitation in May of 2019 depending upon the specific area. You can read their May report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link. They mention that this is the beginning of the rainy season when the rains should increase.
I am hopeful that we are through the worst of the dry weather and we will successfully transition into rainy season, but only time will reveal our fate.
I found the umbrella and have it lubricated and ready to go. Actually, I have already used it a couple of times and it is functioning well.
Lloyd Cripe