How much rain does Boquete, Panama get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Boquete, Panama and what is it like?
Linda Jensen
Arriving in Boquete in early December 2012 we saw daily showers, many rainbows as well as much sunshine. Late December is the end of the really wet season in Boquete. However we have found that all this lush-looking green and the abundant flowers are not as beautiful as in the past due to a serious drought in the country of Panama.
The rainy season begins in mid may and gradually accelerates into the strong daily rains from late June to November. The...
Arriving in Boquete in early December 2012 we saw daily showers, many rainbows as well as much sunshine. Late December is the end of the really wet season in Boquete. However we have found that all this lush-looking green and the abundant flowers are not as beautiful as in the past due to a serious drought in the country of Panama.
The rainy season begins in mid may and gradually accelerates into the strong daily rains from late June to November. The typical annual rainfall is estimated at 103 inches. The rains come in torrents at times so much that the Caldera River over flows its banks, landslides occur, bridges and roads wash out and people clean it up and get on with their lives.
We have seen more rainbows in the last five months than we have seen in many combined years of living in the USA. Beautiful rainbows are just as pretty whether it was a light shower or a downpour.
One only has to ask those who have lived here for many years how to deal with the rainy season. We have heard from several sources:
- Get umbrellas and rain boots.
- Do your shopping early in the day as most rainfall comes after noon.
- Purchase a dehumidifier for your home or apartment.
- Remember it only rains for 6 months; not hard every time either.
We are seeing more rain every week now. It is a blessing for all the plants, animals, and water sources. We don't get hurricanes or tornados. However we do enjoy thunderstorms, heavy rains and some typical storm strength winds. If you don't like rain there are places in Panama that offer a dryer climate.
Posted May 30, 2013
Gilberto Barria Vallarino - BodyMind Dojo
The rainy season in Boquete runs from May through December. The dry season will go from January through April. Precipitation has varied a lot in the the past 5 years. These are the records from the Palmira Station, run by Lloyd Cripe of boqueteweather.com, for the years 2008 through 2012: the precipitation recorded went from 223 inches in 2008 to 107 inches in 2012. 2008 was a year of flooding. Very dangerous to be near the Caldera River or...
The rainy season in Boquete runs from May through December. The dry season will go from January through April. Precipitation has varied a lot in the the past 5 years. These are the records from the Palmira Station, run by Lloyd Cripe of boqueteweather.com, for the years 2008 through 2012: the precipitation recorded went from 223 inches in 2008 to 107 inches in 2012. 2008 was a year of flooding. Very dangerous to be near the Caldera River or any of the bigger ravines.
Posted October 3, 2013
Paul McBride - Inside Panama Real Estate
Rain. Boquete gets rain, and lots of it. Historical records are hard to find regarding the long-term weather in Boquete but we have very accurate records from the past 6 years. In 2008 the total annual rainfall was just over 222 inches. 2009 saw 146 inches of rain, 2010 was wetter at 218 inches of rain, 2011 had 177 inches of rain, 2012 had 107 inches and 2013 had a grand total of 115 inches of rain. Now, keep in mind that we have...
Rain. Boquete gets rain, and lots of it. Historical records are hard to find regarding the long-term weather in Boquete but we have very accurate records from the past 6 years. In 2008 the total annual rainfall was just over 222 inches. 2009 saw 146 inches of rain, 2010 was wetter at 218 inches of rain, 2011 had 177 inches of rain, 2012 had 107 inches and 2013 had a grand total of 115 inches of rain. Now, keep in mind that we have very different micro-climates in Boquete and rainfall can vary dramatically from area to area. However, when you see the statistics it’s clear that we live in a wet region.
The seasons are fairly well defined and predictable. The dry season typically starts in mid-December and runs through the middle to the end of April and we can experience weeks of no rain at all. The wet season usually starts in May. That said, there are transitions on the beginning and ending of each season so the rainy season usually starts gradually with most of the rainfall occurring in the late afternoons. Historically, the wettest months are September, October and November.
The dry season is caused by the trade winds that come off the Caribbean Sea during the winter months. The trade winds that cause the dry season also create windy and gusty conditions in most of Panama. Because of the topography of the Boquete area with a large number of valleys and mountain passes, the winds are shaped by the contours of the land and certain areas can get periods of gusty winds. The trade winds tend to shift direction so an area that experiences very gusty conditions on one day can be calm the next. Like the rain, the wind is something that you learn to deal when you live here in Boquete.
Experience shows that there are certain areas in the Boquete region that get less wind than others just as there are some areas that get more rain that others. One of the beautiful reasons to live here is that, with a little research, you can almost pick the exact weather conditions that suit you best.
Posted September 5, 2014
Penny Barrett - Fundacion Bid 4 Bouquete
There are two seasons in Boquete: the dry season and the wet season. This is just a rule of thumb and it can vary from year to year. The dry season is usually around mid-December to the first week of May and the wet season is from May up until mid-December. The rain usually starts at about 3 PM. They say October is the height of the rainy season but starting November, we start to get lesser amounts of rain. Come mid-December, generally, there is not much rain anymore. We like the...There are two seasons in Boquete: the dry season and the wet season. This is just a rule of thumb and it can vary from year to year. The dry season is usually around mid-December to the first week of May and the wet season is from May up until mid-December. The rain usually starts at about 3 PM. They say October is the height of the rainy season but starting November, we start to get lesser amounts of rain. Come mid-December, generally, there is not much rain anymore. We like the rain because when it rains, it is greener and it is cleaner. There is no dust. Boquete is fifty shades of green. During the dry season, we do not get any rain. If you have a garden, you have to water the plants yourself. When your gardener comes, the first thing he will do is to get the hose and water every plant. It is windy around January and February. There are areas around Boquete that get more winds for longer periods during the year. It is extremely windy in some places such as the canyons and Alto Boquete, which means "High Boquete". It tends to be windier in higher places to the point that you have to put your shoulder against the door of your car to open it.
We have a lot of micro-climates in Boquete. You can go a hundred yards down the road and you will be in a different micro-climate. Each micro-climate can have more rain, or more wind, or it can be more humid. That is why people usually try to rent first to see if they like the place and the climate before they invest in buying a property.
Posted October 15, 2014
John Gilbert - PanamaKeys
The beautiful thing about living in Panama is having these microclimates. Boquete does experience a decent amount of annual rainfall. In Boquete, we have a rainy season and a dry season. During the rainy season in Boquete, you can expect it to rain every single day for 2 to 3 hours. The rain can be anywhere from a light rain to a driving rain. In the dry season, you can experience rain approximately once a week for 15-20 minutes, and there are a...
The beautiful thing about living in Panama is having these microclimates. Boquete does experience a decent amount of annual rainfall. In Boquete, we have a rainy season and a dry season. During the rainy season in Boquete, you can expect it to rain every single day for 2 to 3 hours. The rain can be anywhere from a light rain to a driving rain. In the dry season, you can experience rain approximately once a week for 15-20 minutes, and there are a couple of months when you won’t see any rain at all.
In Central Kentucky, rain changes depending on the season that we were in. There are times in the spring in Kentucky where it’s 80 Fahrenheit, and the rain feels great and refreshing. There are also times in November when it’s 40 degrees outside and it’s raining. During this time, there’s no worse place to be. There’s nothing more miserable than a 40-degree rain that drives at you sideways. You won’t experience a 40-degree rain in Boquete.
The rains in Boquete can vary from light to heavy, but the temperature is always 77-82 Fahrenheit for every single day of the year forever and ever. It’s wonderful here in Boquete, the city of perpetual spring.
I’ve come to appreciate the rainy season in Boquete more than the dry season because things are just greener, and there are so many flowers so many colors that I’ve never seen before. There are so many colorful and beautiful birds, and they seem to be more active during that rainy season when everything’s alive, growing, and springing forth, and I just love it.
(A rainbow over the Gilbert children, Volcan, Panama, pictured.)
Posted March 12, 2017
Rommel H. Troetsch - Arquitectura Axioma
Greetings expat community.
Officially the summer season should be from January to March / April and we don't have winter but we have rainy season which takes place to December. In the reality Global Warming had affected us, too, so the weather is all mixed up. The rain just stopped a few days ago and I've seen news reports of rain in areas where have never rained before in this time of the year.
The Summer Season is the time of the year...
Officially the summer season should be from January to March / April and we don't have winter but we have rainy season which takes place to December. In the reality Global Warming had affected us, too, so the weather is all mixed up. The rain just stopped a few days ago and I've seen news reports of rain in areas where have never rained before in this time of the year.
The Summer Season is the time of the year...
Greetings expat community.
Officially the summer season should be from January to March / April and we don't have winter but we have rainy season which takes place to December. In the reality Global Warming had affected us, too, so the weather is all mixed up. The rain just stopped a few days ago and I've seen news reports of rain in areas where have never rained before in this time of the year.
The Summer Season is the time of the year where we get the most frequent and strong winds so even though it is summer it is the coldest time of the year. During winter you can expect heavy rain any day and even sometimes there are days that rains 2 to 3 times. Boquete has a different type of weather. I am no scientist but we have something called micro-climates in which basically it can be raining at your house area but if you go to another part of Boquete it can be a beautiful sunny day and you wouldn't even know. To give you and example, sometimes I am driving to my house from David I could find one or two rainy parts on my way home and I don't even live in Boquete Downtown so I don't know if it is raining over there, too.
The last two years there have been a hurricane season in the Caribbean and we do get some of that rain here in Boquete, too. When that happens, basically we don't get a wind -ype hurricane; it just rains all day long and doesn't matter in what part of Panama you are, it will be raining. Again this is a product of the last hurricanes located in the Caribbean so I can not assure you that it is not a constant phenomenon but I can guarantee that you will need an umbrella
Officially the summer season should be from January to March / April and we don't have winter but we have rainy season which takes place to December. In the reality Global Warming had affected us, too, so the weather is all mixed up. The rain just stopped a few days ago and I've seen news reports of rain in areas where have never rained before in this time of the year.
The Summer Season is the time of the year where we get the most frequent and strong winds so even though it is summer it is the coldest time of the year. During winter you can expect heavy rain any day and even sometimes there are days that rains 2 to 3 times. Boquete has a different type of weather. I am no scientist but we have something called micro-climates in which basically it can be raining at your house area but if you go to another part of Boquete it can be a beautiful sunny day and you wouldn't even know. To give you and example, sometimes I am driving to my house from David I could find one or two rainy parts on my way home and I don't even live in Boquete Downtown so I don't know if it is raining over there, too.
The last two years there have been a hurricane season in the Caribbean and we do get some of that rain here in Boquete, too. When that happens, basically we don't get a wind -ype hurricane; it just rains all day long and doesn't matter in what part of Panama you are, it will be raining. Again this is a product of the last hurricanes located in the Caribbean so I can not assure you that it is not a constant phenomenon but I can guarantee that you will need an umbrella
Posted January 26, 2018