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– Rain: Week 27 was quite dry at the source with only 10 mm (0.4 inches) of rain – a welcome respite from the previous two weeks.

– Temperature: The average air and soil temperatures increased slightly this week due to the good climate. The average minimum air temperature was 22.5°C (72.6°F) and the average air temperature increased to 27.3°C (81.1°F) – almost one degree Celsius higher than last week. The average soil temperature also increased to 27°C (80.6°F).  Solar radiation was high, while relative humidity decreased to 83.9 %.

– Observations: Quality in general continues at The Perfect Pineapple level – there is no doubt that the break in the weather has had positive results, it is even allowing us to increase age at harvest and try to fill the post NDF volume gap. The post NDF volume drop is already being felt in the US market with all sizes in strong demand. Historically July and part of August are months of low volume,  but we all seem to be managing the natural flowering period much better and the pronounced peaks of 3 years ago are much more reduced.

– Rain: Dense cloud cover, daily precipitation, and even more intense downpours during week 26 brought a total of 93.2 mm (3.7 inches) of accumulated precipitation.

– Temperature: As could be expected, both the air and soil temperatures decreased significantly this week .The average minimum air temperature reached 22.5°C (72.5°F) – 1.5°C lower than last week, while the average air temperature also decreased to 26.4°C (89.5°F). The average soil temperature decreased as well, to a measure of 26.8°C (80.2°F) – 1.1°C lower than the prior week. We experienced a significant decrease in solar radiation, and relative humidity was 87.9 %.

– Observations: It seems to be official now that there will be no “Indian summer” this year (July is historically one of the rainiest months of the year). Oscar usually reports his participation in the Carnival in Limon during this time frame, but he has not done so leading one to conclude the party must have been a bust due to the weather. The high precipitation of the last two weeks has not affected the quality of our fruit, which continues at a very good level. We will remain vigilant and continue the intensive field sampling work as well as fruit age control to make sure this trend continues. Land preparation is slowed down by this weather, but we “squirreled away” a good inventory of prepared fields during the dry spell to carry us through the rainy season.

– Rain: Complete turnaround in our weather with showers of moderate to medium intensity almost every day! We had an accumulated precipitation of 52.6 mm (2 inches).

– Temperature: Minimum and average air temperatures remained very similar to the prior week. The average minimum air temperature reached 24°C (75.2°F), while the average air temperature was 27.9°C (82.2°F). The average soil temperature decreased to 27.9°C (82.3°F) probably due to the rain. The sunlight varied from medium to low intensity throughout the week, while relative humidity continued low and identical to last week at 86 %.

– Observations: Everyone around the world is talking about the changing weather patterns and it seems that we are no exception. May and June are usually rainy months in the Caribbean coast of Central America, but this year both months have been characterized as rather dry. Usually we get our “Indian Summer” in late June and early July but the weather experienced during Week 25 is the inverse!

– Rain: The same weather pattern continued into week 24 at the source – very hot and dry days. The precipitation registered at our meteorological station was low – total of 15 mm (half inch) concentrated. Increased precipitation is expected next week as per our weather forecast.

– Temperature: The air and soil temperatures remained very stable with only slight variations from the prior week. The average minimum air temperature was 23.6°C (74.4°F). The average air temperature was 27.6°C (81.6°F) and the average soil temperature remained stable at 28.2°C (82.8°F). The sunlight intensity was variable during the week but without extremes, while the relative humidity continued low for our tropical climate – 85.9 %.

– Observations: Our climate remains stable and highly favorable to our land preparation and planting operations. During this transition time between the dry and wet season we must balance fruit quality, harvest volume, and crop age in order to avoid problems due to over/under mature fruit. As we endeavor to remain close to the optimum level, we are presently anticipating the initiation of an age reduction cycle that has a direct impact on brix and translucency. Additionally, we are currently in the peak of the natural fruit harvest and we recognize the need to keep a very strict control of our fruit’s age to achieve the right balance of sugar content and internal maturity.

– Rain: More of the same as there were very dry and hot days during week 23 at source. The precipitation registered at our meteorological station was almost nil (only 2.4 mm).

– Temperature: The air and soil temperatures showed a very slight variation from the prior week. The average minimum air temperature was identical to last week at 23.2°C (73.7°F). The average air temperature was a bit higher at 28°C (82.4°F) and the average soil temperature remained stable at 28.1°C (82.6°F). Solar radiation was intense throughout the week, while relative humidity continued low and very similar to last week at 83.8 %.

– Observations: Weather conditions remained optimal for a high-quality pineapple production period. Very sunny days, high air and soil temperatures, and very little rain continue to be our weather pattern. Our reliable weather forecasting service is predicting more of the same for the coming week.

– Rain: Dry and hot weather continued during week 22. We experienced one day of intense rain in the middle of the week and the rest was totally dry. The total precipitation registered was 22.8 mm (less than an inch).

– Temperature: The air and soil temperatures were stable and without significant variation from prior week. The average minimum air temperature reached 23.2°C (73.8°F). The average temperature was 27.7°C (81.8°F) and the average soil temperature reached 27.9°C (82.2°F). Solar radiation was intense at the beginning of the week but normal during the rest; relative humidity continued low at 83.8 %.

– Observations: Fortunately the start of the rainy season is delayed this year which is very positive for our operations, especially during this period of the year when we have a high volume of natural fruit. The quality is as good as it gets and the meteorological forecast continues positive for next week, so we do not anticipate any quality problems with our fruit.