The presence of the El Niño phenomenon is imminent, according to the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (IMHPA) the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States (NOAA, for its acronym in English) declared the arrival of this phenomenon natural and its prolongation during the next months.
NOAA explained that the consensus of international prediction models indicate with probabilities greater than 90%, that El Niño will strengthen this year and the phenomenon will extend during the next year 2024.
«The Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama has echoed the NOAA statement on the officialization of the presence of EI NIÑO and as the official entity for climatological issues we announce that we are already in the presence of the El Niño Event»; indicated the general director of the IMHPA, Luz Graciela de Calzadilla.
Calzadilla highlighted that since the end of March the IMHPA warned about this phenomenon, and in May, the entity reported that the warming of the waters in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean was affecting the beginning of the rainy season and the behavior of rainfall in Panama.
“In Panama, the presence of El Niño conditions will cause a decrease in rainfall in the regions located on the slope of the Pacific Ocean and increase the number of consecutive days without rain, however, short-term intense rainfall may be recorded,” said the Engineer Calzadilla Additionally.
El Niño in our country is associated with an increase in air temperature and a decrease in relative humidity, consequently, the evapotranspiration process is accelerated and evaporation on the ground, bodies of water and reservoirs increases.
The IMHPA will continue issuing the special report on El Niño on a monthly basis to update on its evolution and, if necessary, the reports could be made weekly, added the engineer from Calzadilla. It is recommended to stay informed using the official sources of the country since El Niño generates different effects in different parts of the world.
