November 7, 2016 | No.92 |
October 2016
(Back Issues Here)
The Palmira Station measured 16.35 inches of rain in October. Our total for the year 2016 at the end of October is 92.79 inches.
Thanks again to all those who contribute their monthly rain data. Here are the totals for October of 2016 from various District of Boquete areas.
Rainfall for October 2016 |
|||
Area |
Contributors |
October |
Total 2016 |
El Santuario |
Terry Zach |
8.60 |
62.01 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Sela Burkholder |
30.63 |
118.62 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
27.19 |
136.87 |
Brisas Boquetenas |
Austin Perry |
32.75 |
173.80 |
Los Molinos |
Fred Donelson |
45.83 |
169.59 |
Los Naranjos |
Craig Bennett |
n/a |
n/a |
Lucero (Cielo Paraiso) |
Michael Mullin |
39.07 |
149.85 |
Palmira Abajo |
Clyde Page |
20.99 |
n/a |
Palmira Abajo |
Betty Gray |
16.25 |
87.57 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
16.35 |
92.79 |
n/a = not currently available but will be posted when available |
The highest rainfall was at Los Molinos as measured by Fred Donelson. The lowest was again at El Santuario as measured by Terry Zach. Again, we see considerable variance in rainfall within the District of Boquete.
Is the rain for the month of October more or less than normal? Based upon the data I have collected from 2007 to the present at the Palmira Station, our 16.35 inches in October is lower than normal compared with an average for the month of 30.40 inches in the Palmira area as noted on the graph of average monthly rainfall for our station. However, our total rainfall for the year at the end of October is more than it was last year (72.89 inches).
The latest ENSO Cycle Report is saying that "La Niña is favored to develop (~70% chance) during the Northern Hemisphere fall 2016 and slightly favored to persist (~55% chance) during winter 2016-17."
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) (select South America from the Region menu) is reporting the following precipitation predictions for November-December of 2016 and January 2017. Note a 40% probability that our area with have slightly above average precipitation.
ETESA's, hydrology and meteorology section is predicting a strong probability that the Chiriqui area will have generally normal precipitation during the month of November 2016. You can read their report and check out the details for November in the documents section at this link.
We just returned from 10 days in Cancun, Mexico. We had a good time seeing the area and indulging with friends. As you know, we like birds so we kept our eyes open for new sightings. We encountered a new species for us, the Mayan Warrior Bird. I was able to quickly grab a photo so you can see this unusual creature. Of course we added it to our Life Lists. Strange things can and do happen on Halloween and the Day of the Dead! Take a look here.
So far the weather in Novmeber here in Palmira has been easy days with essentially no rain. I get the sense that we are as usual transitioning into the dry season. November often has a lot less rain than October. The coffee is starting to mature and some early picking is taking place in our area. It remains to be seen whether or not we will hit 100 inches of rain by the end of the year. Probably not. Regardless, keep the umbrellas handy for either rain or uv protection.
Lloyd Cripe