Panama has a hot and humid tropical climate, with a long rainy season from May to January and a short dry season from January to May. The rainy season is between May and December and is estimated to bring between 250 and 700 millimeters (mm) of rain across the country. The best thing about Panama is that the weather is completely predictable, and that gives me comfort. In Panama, the rainy season usually begins in late April or May. The mornings are beautiful, with large, puffy clouds, and in the late afternoon you can see how storms form as they descend from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
Then, at dusk, there are magnificent light shows, with abundant rain. During the months leading up to October, rain starts earlier in the day and the amount of rain increases. October is the wettest month, while November has the least rain and, by mid-December, all rains cease until the next month of April. The dry season runs from mid-December to mid-April.
It gets windier during the dry season. At the end of the dry season, most people living in Panama can't wait for the rains to start. During the dry season, it doesn't rain much. At lower elevations, it is especially dry, so the grass turns brown. At higher elevations, it usually stays green all year round.
There are short, heavy gusts of rain almost daily off the Caribbean coast. The Pacific coast has a wet season from May to November. Even on the much rainier Caribbean coast, you're likely to see the sun in the morning or late afternoon. However, farmers burn their crops in a controlled manner in the dry season to generate smoke in some (not all) areas.
Some parts of the country may rain during this season (mainly along the Caribbean coast), but most of Panama is sunny and dry throughout this 5-month period. During this season, it is typical for it to rain in large bursts in the afternoon or at dusk, leaving morning and night cleared. Moving here to live my life as the good-weather girl that I am, I wasn't ready for my first rainy season.
