November 3, 2026

No.211

October 2026
(Back Issues Here)

We had 13.78 inches of rain in Palmira Arriba during the month of October 2026.

Rainfall for October 2026
Area	Contributors	October 2026	Total 2026
El Salto Arriba	Beth Corwin	14.08	52.12
Los Cabazos	Don Hughes	17.25	66.58
Jaramillo Arriba	Steve Sarner	n/a	n/a
Jaramillo Alto	Steve White	23.79	n/a
Jaramillo Central	Colleen Anderson	10.65	52.31
Jaramillo Abajo	John McGann	21.68	90.47
Palo Alto	Nancy Pettersen	15.19	117.71
Valle Escondido	Gisela Remsen	15.58	64.51
Brisas  Boquetenas	Dennis Decorte	45.59	148.00
Brisas Boquetenas	Richard Sturtz	48.08	n/a
Cerro Verde (Volcancito)	Charlotte Lintz	n/a	65.40
Canyon Village	Denise McGhee	19.60	n/a
Caldera	Chris McCall	22.07	79.28
Palmira Abajo	Dave Nichols	26.55	90.80
Palmira Arriba	Lloyd Cripe	13.78	52.61
N/A = Not Available Red = Highest rainfalls Green = Lowest rainfall

Checking the past data from the Palmira Arriba Station over a span of 20 years, the average rainfall for the months of October is 26.55 inches. The range is a low of 13.78 inches (2026) to a high of 45.92 inches (2011). This month's 13.78 inches at the Palmira Arriba Station is -1.5 standard deviations below the mean for the months of October.  This is somewhat statistically lower than normal for the month of October. 

Palmira Arriba Station Average October Rainfalls over 20 Years

In the Rainfall Table above note the variations in October rainfall in the different areas of the District of Boquete.  The highest rainfall rates were in Brisas Boquetenas with 48.08 inches reported by Richard Sturtz and 45.59 inches reported by Dennis Decorte. The lowest rate was reported by Colleen Anderson in Jaramillo Central with 10.65 inches. 

The latest ENSO Cycle Report is saying that "El Niño is present. Equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are above average across the eastcentral and eastern Pacific Ocean. The atmospheric circulation anomalies over the equatorial Pacific Ocean are consistent with El Niño. El Niño continues to strengthen, with a strong-to-very strong El Niño likely through January-March 2027 (remaining greater than an 83% chance)."  For more information about El Niño and how it affects our weather see  Boquete Weather Watcher Update No. 207. 

The IRI (International Research Institute for Climate and Society) (select South America from the Region menu) is predicting a 70% probability of below normal precipitation in Panama during the months of November-December-January 2026-2027. (Brown areas).

 IMHPA (Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá) Documents Section predicts that during October 2026 "...Rainfall is expected to be near or above normal in some mountainous areas of Chiriquí, the Ngäbe Buglé Comarca, Veraguas, Herrera, Los Santos, and southern Coclé. Meanwhile, rainfall values ​​are expected to be below normal for the rest of the country." You can read their entire report and check out the details in the "documents" section at this link. 

Because we were up north in the Pacific Northwest on October 9, 2026, we missed out on the excitement of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake and all the aftershocks. We didn't feel a thing! The Epicenter was Near Pitaloza Arriba / Azuero Peninsula in south-central Panama (Herrera and Veraguas provinces). We had no damage at our Finca in Palmira Arriba.  These shaking events get our attention. We are not used to the "Tierra firma" not being firma!  You probably have noticed that when I created the website in 2006 there was a tab labeled "Earthquakes."  At the top of the earthquake page is a quote by Charles Darwin. If you haven't seen it, go there and read it. It certainly fits my experience. 

In  Palmira, it is coffee harvesting time.  The coffee trees are flashing red cherries.  Maybe this is a harbinger of the near future 0f Christmas Season.  Here is a photo I took this morning. Note that the colors of the cherries vary.  The red ones are ripe and the others aren't.  The pickers have the detailed demanding job of only picking the ripe ones as they pass through the coffee plants. Coffee harvest here on our farm requires multiple passes of picking usually between late October through late February. 

 

November is usually a transition month mixed with some rainy days and some days without.  Enjoy the month and hopefully the turkey.  You will need your umbrella intermittently so don't leave it somewhere you can't remember.