Luck is when you go shopping, return home, and unload the car just before the tropical rainstorm hits. We saw it had rained some in spots and we could see the rain in the distance so we figured it was coming, but wow.

Pictures can’t convey the energy of a Panamanian rainstorm. Lightning flashes, thunder booms, and it feels like the heavens are pouring  buckets and buckets of water. It never lasts long though, so if you are out you may as well take shelter for a little while but if you are home, it’s a pleasure to sit on the terrace and enjoy the rain. But, even if you get wet, the rain here is pleasantly warm.

I see these questions on line a lot…

When is rainy season? (April-December with the most rain in October and November)

Does it rain continuously? (No. Usually is starts later in the afternoon and is finished in the early evening, usually, but not always)

We went through a drier spell where there were many days with no rain at all. I heard rumors about an El Niño weather system. We seem to be making up for it now though with more rain, and even one night where it rained through the night and into the morning which is unusual.

Usually though, mornings are sunny and beautiful, or if we are lucky, a bit overcast and cooler, and then the rains come later in the day. Evenings are humid from the rain but pleasantly cool (in my opinion, cool is relative 😁).

Dry season is December – April. The rains stop, trade winds blow, and everything gets brown and crispy. The weather gets hotter and hotter until by March we are begging for rainy season. I prefer the rainy season when everything is lush and green, but I don’t have to work outside in the wet and mud like many people.

It’s been about an hour now and the rain has almost stopped, and the thunder is only rumbles in the distance. La vida buena en Panama.