In recent weeks, wherever you are, the same question is heard: Why is it so hot in Panama? During these daily conversations, there is even talk of a heat wave in the country.

To clear up doubts and answer some questions about this topic of general interest, we consulted the meteorologist Blas Córdoba, from the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology of Panama (Imhpa). Below is the interview conducted this Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Is Panama going through a heat wave?

– No. A heat wave is when in other latitudes a mass of hot air moves towards a point where the temperature is cooler and generates an increase in temperature, but it is a mass of air that is moving towards that point. We don’t. We are within the tropical area where the air mass generally stays warm.

So, why do you feel so hot in Panama?

– As we are in the transition period from the dry to the rainy season, we already have an increase in rainy days and this means that we have a higher percentage of humidity. As we have a higher percentage of humidity, but there are also typical days of the dry season, then there are days with little cloud cover and where we have a direct incidence of the sun’s rays. When these temperatures, which can be 34, 35, 36 degrees, interact with the high percentage of humidity, it is the body that feels that the temperatures are much higher.

Explain in more detail the relationship between the ambient temperature and the percentage of humidity.

– That is, for example, with a temperature of 34 degrees and 85% humidity, your body feels that the temperature is about 37 degrees. In other words, two or three degrees above the maximum temperature. Keep in mind that with the increase in temperature and the high degree of humidity, the body becomes sweaty. If you still have very hot clothes, you will be receiving the heat that the body is emitting, because the body sweats to cool down, to lower the temperature. In addition, thick or dark-colored clothing directly absorbs the radiation from the Sun.

How long is this situation predicted to last?

– By mid-May, the entry of the rainy season should have been regularized. The only thing is that due to the effects of what is expected from a possible Nino Phenomenon, the rains are expected to be below normal. Yes, we are going to have rain, but of very little intensity, that is, values below normal. It is expected that once the rainy season is regularized, as we are going to have more cloud cover, we will no longer feel that direct impact on solar radiation.

It has also been seen that it rains and it is even hotter.

– What happens is that it rains so little that the ground is not saturated. If as soon as the rain passes the sun rises then all that wet earth evaporates and that water vapor is hot.

The meteorologist Córdoba concludes that these “caloric sensations” or “embarrassments” should not create alarm among the population. “On other occasions we have gone through seasons of this nature,” he says.

However, he emphasizes the recommendations that have been given, such as: wearing dark glasses, hats, fresh clothes, carrying umbrellas and, very importantly, hydration.