| December 6, 2011 | No. 46 |
November 2011
I posted the November weather data for the Palmira Weather Station a few days ago. We recorded a total of 5.44 inches of rain in November at the Palmira Station. Terry Zach in El Santuario reported 6.15 inches of rain. Sela Burkholder in Jaramillo Abajo reports 8.51 inches. Craig Bennett reports 4.66 inches in Los Naranjos. Here is the list from least to most rainfall.
Rainfall for November 2011 |
||
| Los Naranjos | Craig Bennett | 4.66 |
| Palmira Arriba | Lloyd Cripe | 5.44 |
| El Santuario | Terry Zach | 6.15 |
| Jaramillo Abajo | Sela Burkholder | 8.51 |
At the end of November at the Palmira Station we have a total of 175.9 inches of rain for the year. If you check the Annual Climate Data tables at the Website, you can see that the total amount of rain for November varies from year to year with an average of 11.3 inches (range of 5.44 to 21.22). This year we had less rain for the month than usual. After the 45.92 inches in October, November was a pleasant relief.
As I previously mentioned, November is usually a month of transition between the rainy and dry seasons. We start seeing more sunny days and fewer rainy days. This was certainly the case this November. The first few days of December have been generally sunny with some clouds and the wind picking up here in Palmira. Some Bajareque (mist) has been blowing in over the mountains into Bajo Boquete which is also typical this time of the year.
Last Friday, December 4, 2011, we had an earthquake in the early hours at about 1:58 AM. It woke us up with sharp and rather prolonged movements. It felt like a 5 to 6. The USGS reports that it was magnitude 5.0 with the epicenter 23 miles west of David. Here is a Google Map rendition of the location at the red star.
Often the epicenter of this type of earthquake is more off shore more south in the Pacific along the Cost Rica - Panama fault line, but can be more inland like this one. You can checkout a map of the Historic Seismicity in this area at this link. I didn't hear of any significant damage from this one in our area. Let me know if you heard about any damage near the epicenter.
By the way, no one reported this earthquake at the website. I want to remind you that making reports is useful to the reasearchers monitoring all of this. It doesn't take much time and is the only way they can know what actually happens in various locations. Over a year ago I posted a brief article on "Understanding the Monitoring and Reporting of Earthquakes" and a link to the simple Earthquake Report Form at the Website. You can always find the links at the Earthquakes Tab at the Website. Check these out and get in the habit of filing the reports as soon as possible after experiencing a quake in our area.
The ENSO is now in a La Niña condition. La Niña is expected to continue in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter of 2011-2012. 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 reporting with a 40 percent probability that December 2011 through February 2012 will bring an increased precipitation to our area. Here is their graphic presentation: (Note the light green in our area which predicts a 40 percent probability of increased precipitation):
Another year is nearly over and the holiday season is upon us. Hopefully you had a good Thanksgiving and are gearing up for a jolly Christmas. Looks like we are going to finish the year with considerably less rain than last year. Perhaps this is a good thing. I know I am enjoying less humidity and mildew. The umbrella is content resting and drying out. I advise that you put the umbrella in a secure but handy place so the wind doesn't take it on an unexpected journey and just-in-case something other than Santa blows in from the North.
Lloyd Cripe