Chilly summer forecast for Panama

The first day of 2011 in Panama city started off warm and sunny, but weather forecasters are not optimistic about January.

Berta Olmedo, head of of meteorology at the Electricity Transmission Company (Etesa), says that cold fronts in January, will continue to bring the rains, storms and winds that we suffered in December 2010.

Olmedo says Panama has not yet had "a direct cold front push or"  although one hit Costa sending the thermometer down to 14.6 Celsius in the capital. It also created wind gusts of up to 40.2 kilometers an hour which, when combined with the low temperature made for uncomfortable conditions for those who like to walk about in shorts.

Cesar Osorio, of Etesa, said a cold front in Panama could cause temperatures to fall to 15 degrees Celsius, and in regions like Chiriqui temperature could be between 8 and 10 degrees.

Forecasterss, say that by March 2011 four more cold fronts are expected making the “summer” a time of low temperatures, rainfall and wind. However the weather is variable and experts have been known to be wrong.
Thirty three percent of cold fronts reaching the Caribbean are dissipated between Belize and northeastern Honduras, 32% do between Honduras and Panama’s Caribbean coast, and the remaining 34% in Central Panama.
Meanwhile  Mexico announced Wednesday that the country's northwest  is facing a snowfall brought in by a cold front.