– Rain: Week 50 brought us a variable weather pattern with some days totally dry and sunny while other days experienced heavy downpours (typical of the rainy season). The total accumulated precipitation during the week was 36mm – close to one and a half inch.
– Temperature: The average temperature has not dropped during the month of December as it has in prior years. Minimum temperature reached 22.5°C (72.5°F) and the average was 26.5°C (79.8°F). The soil temperature reached 26.7°C (80°F). Relative humidity averaged 84.6% (still low for this time of the year), while the solar radiation was moderate to low due the presence of some rainy days.
– Observations: The Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica has announced a change in the climate of the North and the Caribbean regions, bringing cooler temperatures and increased rainfall. We may finally start to get the conditions that are more usual during this time of the year! We are making extra efforts to control the production and quality aspects of our fruit in order to keep the expected levels. The pineapple industry in Costa Rica usually suffers from a drop in volume starting the New Year that lasts for about two months – a pattern brought about by the climatic variables and end of the peak harvest that has lasted for the last 3 months.