May 3, 2024

No.181

April 2024
(Back Issues Here)

We had 4.90 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station during the month of April 2024. It was another dry season month with some sporadic hopes of transitioning into the rainy season.

Rainfall for April 2024
Area	Contributors	April 2024	Total 2024
El Salto Arriba	Beth Corwin	5.11	7.60
El Santuario	Robert Boyd	3.67	6.08
Palo Alto	Rodrigo Marciacq	5.13	10.18
Los Cabazon	Don Hughes	2.89	6.36
Jaramillo Arriba	Steve Sarner	6.70	14.41
Jaramillo Arriba	Mark Heyer	5.25	9.27
Jaramillo Abajo	Don Berkowitz	7.71	18.65
Jaramillo Abajo	John McGann	5.08	19.83
Palo Alto	Nancy Pettersen	4.91	12.57
Valle Escondido	Gisela Remsen	2.51	8.66
Brisas  Boquetenas	Dennis Decorte	5.50	12.30
Brisas Boquetenas	Richard Sturz	10.06	26.36
El Encanto (Volcancito)	Brian Baldwin	3.09	8.67
Cerro Verde (Volcancito)	Charlotte Lintz	4.10	7.66
Santa Lucia	Paula Litt	4.09	11.22
Caldera	Chris McCall	8.63	18.11
Lucero	Mike Joy	18.07	39.42
Boquete Country Club	Paul Arrandale	4.84	18.84
Palmira Abajo	Andrea Boraine	13.20	?
Palmira Abajo	Dave Nichols	4.04	15.22
Palmira Arriba	Lloyd Cripe	4.90	12.26
N/A = Not Available

Throughout the District of Boquete, the rain for April varied. The highest reported rainfall was by Mike Joy at Lucero with 18.07 inches and the lowest reported was by Gisela Remsen in Valle Escondido with 2.51 inches.

Looking at past data from the Palmira Arriba Station over a span of 18 years, the average rainfall for the months of April averaged 7.01 inches with a range between a low of 0.28 inches to a high of 18.83 inches. This April we had 4.90 inches of rain at the Palmira Arriba Station which is less than the mean with -0.38  standard deviations below the mean.  This months rain was less than a full standard deviation below the mean so it was lower but not by much.  Here are the statistics for the months of April over a span of 18 years.  

Palmira Arriba Station April Rainfalls over 18 Years

Average winds were 4.24 mph with maximum winds of 25.1 mph at the Palmira Arriba Station. Winds of course vary depending on where you live in the District.  We had some winds in April but less than in March. 

The average temperature in April was 71.09 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 58.1 and a max high temperature of 86.0.

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 east-central Pacific Ocean. The tropical Pacific atmospheric anomalies are weakening. A transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral is likely by April-June 2024 (85% chance), with the odds of La Niña developing by June-August 2024 (60% chance)."

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 May-June-July 2024 (light green and green).

Here is a link to a source to better understand El Niño  in 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." 

IMHPA's documents section predicts that the expected rainfall for May in Panama will be generally at normal levels depending upon the region. You can read their report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link.

May is usually one of the rainiest months of the year signaling the beginning of the rainy season.  If things go according to normal (keep in mind there are always variations and exceptions) we will have plenty of rain in May.

To those new to this part of the world, during the rainy season the mornings are often without rain and with some sunny skies.  The rains show up after midday and they can be light to heavy.  The mornings are often quite nice and good for outdoor activities.  The afternoons are a good time to be under a roof and do some reading or streaming.

Wake up those umbrellas and make sure they are standing at attention and ready for whatever mission the days may bring.

Lloyd Cripe

lcripe@boqueteweather.com