Rainfall Above Average in March In Colombia, Stronger Precipitations Continue in April : Coffee Research Center
Coffee Network (Bogota) – Colombia’s first rainy season, which began in mid- March, has intensified in April, with rainfall increases between 20% and 30% above average for the departments of Bolívar, south center of Cesar, south of La Guajira, center and north of Huila, and some sectors of the departments of north from Santander, Boyaca, Cundinamarca and Tolima, the coffee research center Cenicafe said.
Colombia’s rainy season has been particularly strong in the coffee-producing departments of Antioquia, Tolima, Risaralda, Caldas among others. The ongoing La Nina weather phenomenon merged with the country’s first rainy season. The rainy season began in mid-March, and it is expected to last until mid-June. La Niña, which started to hit during the second half of 2021, is expected to last until June, according to the country’s weather office Ideam.
Conditions are expected to continue weak La Niña, likely above 60%, says Cenicafe.
In the North of Tolima, which is picking its main harvest in April-June, historic rainfall for April ranges between 300-400 millimeters of water. In the west of Antioquia and Santander, rainfall for April also averages between 300-400mm, according to historic averages of rainfall for the past 30 years
April is part of the first rainy season of the year, a time when the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is in the center of the national territory, favoring rainfall in the central coffee zone.
To the east of the national territory, rainfall depends more on the fluctuations associated with the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) and the entry of humid masses from the South of the continent, which favor rainfall in the Amazon and support the transition of the season of less rain to the season of more rainfall in the Orinoquia, especially in the Piedemonte Llanero de Meta. In the North Center of the departments of Cesar and Norte de Santander, and in the South of Tolima a decrease of temperature between 0.5 and 1.0°C are expected.
Some Caribbean and other Provinces
Some coffee producing provinces in the Caribbean of Colombia are expected to record higher levels of precipitations in April, Cenicafe noted.
The minimum volumes of precipitation, between 50 and 100 mm, occur in specific areas of La Guajira and Magdalena. Rainfall reaches moderate volumes in the Center and South of the region, with values between 100 and 300 mm, in sectors of the departments of Magdalena, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander and Antioquia. The highest averages, above 300 mm, take place in some areas of Magdalena, La Guajira, Cesar, Western North Santander, South Central Santander and North Antioquia. In the Piedemonte Llanero, the rainy season begins throughout the region and rainfall increases markedly compared to the previous month. The largest quantities are recorded to the west of Meta, however, in Casanare, foothills of Boyacá and Caquetá, rainfall is frequent and intense, with averages greater than 300 mm. The lowest values, less than 150 mm, occur in specific areas of Caquetá. Historically, for the month of April, in the coffee stations Pueblo Bello (Cesar), Vista Nieves (Magdalena), San Antonio (Santander) and Blonay (Norte de Santander, rainfall averages of 168 mm, 115 mm, 144 mm and 171 mm, respectively during April.
During the month of March, rainfall was within the historical range at the Pueblo Bello (Cesar), Vista Nieves (Magdalena) and Blonay (Norte de Santander) stations, while at the San Antonio (Santander) station the volume of rainfall was above the historical range.
The number of days with rain greater than and equal to 0.1 mm was 7 days for the Pueblo Bello station, 10 days for Vista Nieves, 19 days for Blonay and San Antonio. The humidity index derived from the water balance for the Pueblo Bello station showed conditions of water deficit in the month, while at the San Antonio station a normal condition was presented in March.
Antioquia, and Traditional Coffee Provinces
In March, the volume of rain in the coffee stations El Rosario (Antioquia), La Trinidad (Tolima), Bertha (Boyacá), Naranjal (Caldas), Paraguaicito (Quindío), La Catalina (Risaralda), La Sirena (Valle del Cauca), Jorge Villamil (Huila) and Simón Campos (Huila) were above the historical range. The volume of rain at the Misiones station (Cundinamarca) was within the historical range.
The number of days with rain greater than and equal to 0.1 mm was 29 days for the Bertha station, 27 days for Misiones, 26 days for La Trinidad, 25 days for El Rosario, 24 days for La Sirena and Naranjal, 23 days for Paraguaicito, 22 days for Jorge Villamil and 20 days for La Catalina.
For instance, in Antioquia’s coffee station El Rosario, the volume of rain was 442 mm in March, compared with a historic average of 192mm for previous months of March, Cenicafe noted. Antioquia is the country’s second-largest coffee producing region.
In the Huila, the country’s largest producing region, it rained 293 mm in March at the Simon Campos coffee station, compared with a historic average of 193mm. At Huila’s another coffee station, Jorge Villamil, it rained 184mm in March, compared with a historic average of 137mm for previous months of March, Cenicafe noted.
The result of the water balance at the El Rosario, Naranjal, La Catalina, La Trinidad, Paraguaicito and Jorge Villamil stations showed normal conditions throughout the month.
East of Antioquia, Caldas, West Boyaca, North of Tolima and West of Valle del Cauca
April is the month with the highest rainfall of the first rainy season of the year in most of the region, due to the fact that the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is located in the center of the national territory. In a large part of the region, rainfall volumes are between 150 mm and 300 mm. Precipitations with values higher than 300 mm occur in sectors of Eastern Antioquia and Caldas, Western Boyacá, Northern Tolima, Western Valle del Cauca and Southwestern Cundinamarca.
Nariño, Cauca and Huila
In March, the volume of rain at the El Sauce (Nariño) and El Tambo (Cauca) stations was above the historical range. The number of days with rain greater than and equal to 0.1 mm was 21 days for El Tambo and 28 days for El Sauce. The result of the water balance for the El Tambo station showed normal conditions throughout the month. Historical rainfall for the month of April between 100 and 150 mm on average will be present in some areas of Nariño and Huila, and South of Cauca. Precipitations with values higher than 300 mm occur in the South Center of Cauca, Center and North of Huila, and in some specific areas of Nariño. According to historical records, in the month of April, the El Tambo and El Sauce stations recorded average rainfall of 197 mm and 236 mm, respectively.
The Effects on Coffee Plantations.
Two years of continuous rainfall have sharply reduced Colombian coffee production. Colombia is expected to produce around 12 million bags in 2022, sharply lower than the 12.6 million bags of 60-kg produced last year but some analysts are already warning that output could fall around 11 million bags.
By Diana Delgado
