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– Rain: The cumulative rainfall for the week was high in comparison to prior weeks – 72.6 mm (2.9 inches) – but almost all of it was concentrated on the first day of the week, when we received more than 2 inches! The rest of the week was relatively dry and we had only a few light showers in the evening.

– Temperature: Air temperature remained the same. Minimum temperature reached 23.1°C (73.7°F) while the average was at 27.5°C (81.4°F). Soil temperature did decrease to 26.7°C (80.1°F) – half a degree lower than last week due the higher rainfall. Relative humidity remained identical to last week at 85.1% but solar radiation was high.

– Observations: According to our historical data on precipitation, this August could end up as “normal” in terms of accumulated precipitation. However, because it came in concentrated and defined periods, we have had many dry days that have permitted the farms to advance in land preparation and other cultural practices that normally fall behind during the rainy period. This should help us continue to maintain the consistent volumes and excellent quality of our fruit from here until the end of the year.

– Rain: Dry weather continued during week 33 with only 7.4 mm (1/3 of an inch) of precipitation – concentrated during the weekend.

– Temperature: Air temperature showed minimal variation in relation to the prior week. Minimum temperature reached 23°C (73.5°F) while the average was at 27.5°C (81.6°F). On the other hand, soil temperature did increase to 27.2°C (80.9°F) probably due to the lower rainfall. Relative humidity remained identical to last week at 85%, but solar radiation did decrease due to moderate sunlight.

– Observations: The transition from our rainy to dry period continues, although some would say that it is happening slightly earlier than normal. We are definitely not complaining! These excellent-for-growing climatic conditions will only help us to continue to improve on our fruit quality, as well as enable us to get ahead in the preparation of fields to be planted when the rains commence late in the year.

– Rain: Only 22.9 mm (less than an inch) of precipitation was accumulated during week 32 at the source. Quite a dramatic change from the previous four weeks!

– Temperature: Minimum temperature remained stable at 23.1°C (73.6°F), but the average for the week increased to 27.1°C (80.1°F) – 0.7°C higher than last week.  Soil temperatures also increased to 26.4°C (79.5°F). In contrast to the four preceding weeks, this one we had clear blue skies! The solar radiation was intense most of the week, while relative humidity decreased to 85 %.

– Observations: After four continuous weeks of heavy precipitation, our climate made a change for the better and turned relatively dry. The month of August is usually a transition month between one of our rainy periods and the short dry period between September and October. During this break in the weather, our farms intensify fieldwork and get ready for the rainiest and coolest time of the year that usually begins in November and extends through January. All of our NDF harvest is now complete and we expect volumes to stabilize until we peak prior to the year-end Holidays. We encourage all to promote during the next two months as quality will be optimal and volumes stable!

– Rain: Even though rainfall decreased during week 31, the total cumulative precipitation was still very high at 107 mm (4.2 inches). We had rain every day of the week, bringing July to an end as the rainiest month of the year!

– Temperature: Air temperatures remained stable. The minimum temperature reached 23.1°C (73.6°F) and the average remained at 26.4°C (79.4°F).  Soil temperature did decrease to 25.8°C (79.8°F) – 0.8°C lower than last week due to the rain. Solar radiation continued low with dense cloud cover for most of the week, while the relative humidity was high at 89.1 %.

– Observations: We have had four consecutive weeks of continuous rain and the last two brought intense downpours that caused infrastructure and crop damage in  the Northern and Atlantic regions of Costa Rica; possibly negatively affecting the quality of the fruit in some areas. Fortunately in our farms we did not suffer infrastructure damage, although the condition of our farm roads is slowing down the harvest. Overall the quality of our fruit continues at a very good level!  Two weeks ago we started the process of “field gouging” and we are certain that the fruit arriving next week will have the appropriate crown length.

– Rain: Even more rainfall came upon us during week 30 at the source – total accumulated precipitation was at 197 mm (7.8 inches). Wow! Rather excessive no matter where you are!

– Temperature: Air temperatures were not affected even with all the rain we got. The minimum air temperature reached 23.5°C (74.3°F) and the average air temperature remained at 26.5°C (79.6°F).  Soil temperature did decrease to 26.6°C (79.8°F) – half a degree lower than last week due to the excessive rain. Solar radiation was very low throughout the week with dense cloud cover almost every day and high relative humidity at 90.7 %.

– Observations: Fruit quality is at a good level, it is the excessive rainfall that is raising its ugly head and may make us accelerate the fruit harvest before the fruit reaches full physiological maturity in order to avoid water spotting.

– Rain: Well distributed showers during Week 29 at the source resulted in approximately 46 mm (1.8 inches) of rainfall – a continuation of the prior week.

– Temperature: The minimum air temperature continued without variation at 23.3°C (74°F). The average air temperature remained at 26.9°C (80.4°F) and our average soil temperature registered 27.1°C (80.7°F). Solar radiation was low throughout the week, while relative humidity remained nearly identical to last week at 86.6 %.

– Observations: Historically, July is one of the wettest months of the year and this one is not the exception. To date, this rain does not seem to be affecting the quality of our fruit. We will be vigilant in case the weather makes a turn for the worse as The Meteorological Institute of CR has issued warnings of increased precipitation in the coming weeks. We will monitor this closely and make decisions regarding harvest age and other cultural practices to mitigate any negative consequences. Industry volume is reported to be limited and the market has definitely strengthened, showing signs of limited supply. We expect our supplies to remain at a level that will keep us very close to our committed volumes.

– Rain: Week 28 brought our total precipitation up to 42.6 mm (1.7 inches) – a rather significant increase in comparison to the prior week. Intense showers were felt through mid-week and then turned dry by the end of the week.

– Temperature: The minimum air temperature continued an upward trend to 23.3°C (73.9°F) but the average air temperature remained at 27.1°C (80.8°F); our average soil temperature registered 26.9°C (80.4°F). Solar radiation was low during the first half of the week but increased significantly during the weekend, while relative humidity increased to 86.6 %.

– Observations: We can summarize that the increase in precipitation had a beneficial effect on quality. The natural fruit harvest is practically finished and we start the post NDF harvest blues with a certain decline in volume. However we feel that our deficit will definitely be less than in prior years, as we have learned to balance the quantity of plants exposed to natural flowering events with care to have enough plants to be forced for their planned harvest cycle.