The United States National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially declared the arrival of the La Niña Phenomenon in the region.
In a statement, this agency points out that La Niña’s conditions are present and are expected to persist until April 2025 (59% probability).
NOAA indicates that La Niña conditions have emerged since December 2024 and were reflected with below-average sea surface temperatures across the central and central-east Pacific Ocean.
La Niña is a phenomenon characterized by the cooling of surface waters of the central and eastern part of the equatorial Pacific and by changes in tropical atmospheric circulation, which affects the entire region and has an impact in Panama.
Luz Graciela de Calzadilla, director of the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (Imhpa), detailed on TVN Noticias, that this phenomenon will delay the arrival of the dry season that usually began in mid-December.
He indicated that sporadic rains are expected throughout the months of January to April throughout the country.
De Calzadilla indicated that the arrival of the girl is a little weak and it is predicted that it will last only four months, so no torrential downpours are expected, but unstable conditions are expected.
“We have a high probability that this phenomenon of La Niña will accompany us until March and April, with conditions of more cloudiness and some days with rain,” said the director of the Imhpa.
The Imhpa explained that in Panama, the presence of the La Niña phenomenon tends to increase the rains on the Pacific side of the Republic of Panama and, theoretically, to decrease them on the Caribbean side.
“The evapotranspiration process can be slower, so soil saturation increases. As a result of these effects, it may increase the risk of flooding and landslides. It also increases the turbidity in the water bodies and water intake sites of the water treatment plants. Likewise, the greater frequency of rainy days increases the risk of colds and respiratory diseases in the population,” he said in a statement.
They detailed that the most likely effects are: greater frequency of cloudy days, isolated rains and the prolongation of the transition from the rainy season to the dry season. Consequently, there will be a delay in the start of the 2025 dry season, as has already been observed since last December 2024 and what has elapsed since January 2025.
De Calzadilla, general director of Imhpa, said that the special report on the state of La Niña will continue to be issued monthly, to update and report the details of its evolution; indispensable for decision-making and implement the necessary measures, according to the economic or productive sector.