| March 3, 2024 | No.179 |
February 2024
(Back Issues Here)
We had 1.19 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station during the month of February 2024. It was another dry season month.
Rainfall for February 2024 |
|||
Area |
Contributors |
February 2024 |
Total 2024 |
| El Salto Arriba | Beth Corwin | 0.54 | 1.98 |
El Santuario |
Robert Boyd |
1.00 | 2.07 |
| Palo Alto | Rodrigo Marciacq | 2.88 | 3.65 |
| Los Cabazon | Don Hughes | 1.65 | 2.64 |
Jaramillo Arriba |
Steve Sarner |
2.33 | 5.35 |
| Jaramillo Arriba | Mark Heyer | 1.69 | 2.30 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
Don Berkowitz |
2.05 | 6.78 |
Jaramillo Abajo |
John McGann |
2.28 | 6.17 |
| Palo Alto | Nancy Pettersen | 4.16 | 6.36 |
| Valle Escondido | Gisela Remsen | 0.95 | 1.86 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Dennis Decorte | 1.60 | 3.10 |
| Brisas Boquetenas | Richard Sturz | 3.15 | 4.79 |
| El Encanto (Volcancito) | Brian Baldwin | 1.07 | 1.83 |
Cerro Verde (Volcancito) |
Charlotte Lintz |
0.95 | 1.92 |
Santa Lucia |
Paula Litt |
1.78 | 2.93 |
| Caldera | Chris McCall | 2.08 | 2.13 |
| Lucero | Mike Joy | 4.37 | 6.70 |
Boquete Country Club |
Paul Arrandale |
2.62 | 4.91 |
| Palmira Abajo | Andrea Boraine | 2.15 | 6.75 |
| Palmira Abajo | Dave Nichols | 1.58 | 4.55 |
Palmira Arriba |
Lloyd Cripe |
1.19 | 3.68 |
| N/A = Not Available | |||
Throughout the District of Boquete the rain for February 2024 was low ranging from a high of 4.37 inches as reported by Mike Joy at Lucero to a low of 0.54 inches as reported by Beth Corwin at El Salto Arriba.
Looking at past data from the Palmira Arriba Station over a span of 17 years, the average rainfall for the month of February has been 0.88 inches with a range between 0.00 inches to 4.96 inches. February is typically another month in the Dry Season with a very low rainfall.
Average winds were 6.22 mph with maximum winds of 27.6 mph at the Palmira Arriba Station. Winds of course vary depending where you live in the District.
Again, if you haven't read it, go to the article in the Climate Section on Understanding Boquete Weather and Climate and read what a naturalist said about the winds between David and Boquete in March of 1911. Winds are a common reality in Boquete during the Dry Season. Expect the winds this month with some interspersed calm days.
The average temperature in February was 70.9 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 57.6 and a max high of 86.2.
The latest ENSO Cycle Report is saying that "El Niño conditions are observed. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are above average across the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. The tropical Pacific atmospheric anomalies are consistent with El Niño. A transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral is likely by April-June 2024 (79% chance), with increasing odds of La Niña developing in June-August 2024 (55% chance)."
Here is a link to a source to better understand El Niño. If you need some help interpreting this, give this a read and you will learn a lot about this important weather phenomenon that affects global weather. It has more effect upon the Northern Latitudes than it has upon us here in the tropics. From this article it appears that the effects on our area will be "warm and dry."
The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) (select South America from the Region menu) is predicting that Panama will probably have above normal precipitation during the months of March-April-May 2024 (light green and green).
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IMHPA's documents section predicts that the expected rainfall for March and April in Panama will be generally at normal levels. You can read their report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link.
During the Dry Season we often get some "debris rain" (Bajareque) from the Caribbean as moisture gets pushed over the Talemanca Range into northern Boquete. This usually affects the northern part of the District of Boquete with mist and some droplets of rain. This Bajareque most affects the northern parts but it also produces some amazing rainbows that can be seen from the south looking northward. We often see them arching over Volcan Baru and also over the Jaramillo mountain area from our Palmira Arriba viewing point. Keep your eye peeled for these beauties.
On the morning of February 21, 2024 we saw a very special rainbow over Baru from our second floor window looking north. This was the result of lot of Bajareque moisture in the north and around the mountain. I grabbed a couple of photos with my iPhone 13 pro. The first image is from our upstairs window. The second image is of the same rainbow taken as I traveled up the dirt road north of the village of Palmira Arriba. What a sight thanks to the Bajareque and winds!
March will no doubt be another month of low rainfall as we are still in the Dry Season. However, we usually get a bit more rain in March than we have in February. If you want to hike to the top of Volcan Baru, March is a good month for a good chance of clear skies for distant viewing but, be prepared for strong winds on top!
Keep your umbrellas stored. Expect more winds in March and hope to see more rainbows! Conserve water from the pipes as many depend on it and the supply is limited. Try to enjoy the Dry Season!
Lloyd Cripe