2012: Week 41 at the Source (Week 43 in the Market)

Rain: An even drier week # 41 was reported at the source with only 9 mm (less than a 1/3 of an inch) distributed throughout the week and brought alternating sunny days with no rain and days with light afternoon showers.
Temperature: Both air and soil temperatures remain at stable levels. The average minimum temperature was 22.5 Celsius degrees (72.6 F) and the average weekly temperature was 26.8 Celsius degrees (80.3 F). Average soil temperature registered 27.2 Celsius degrees (81 F). Relative humidity also remained stable at 84.5 %. Solar radiation varied in intensity throughout the week, alternating sunny days with overcast days.
Observations: Variability in our weather during the last few weeks, alternating dry weeks with rainy weeks, represents a major challenge for the production of good quality pineapples. And typically we do not expect our weather during this time frame to be this variable as October is usually a very dry month. Predicting the weather in the tropics is a difficult task, but it is historically probable that henceforth the weather turns dark and rainy, which represents an even greater challenge for the producer especially when trying to maintain a high standard of volume and quality.