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A Few More Details About Wettest Place on Earth: Lopez, Colombia
On March 18th I blogged about the new contender for wettest inhabited place on earth Puerto Lopez, Colombia. Here are a few more details on the subject.
A photograph of the airport at Puerto Lopez de Micay. It is not clear if the rain gauge is located at the airport or in the actual town nearby. Photo by Zavi from mapcarta.com
The precipitation data for Puerto Lopez began in April 1960 and continues to date although I do not have statistics for the site later than February 2012. However, looking at the data for the last official POR (period of record) 1981-2010 there is data for all but five of the 360 months (the missing months were Nov-Dec 1999, Nov 2003, and June-July 2004). Even without those months the average annual precipitation for the 30-year POR came to 12,897.6 mm (507.78”). This works out to an average monthly rainfall of 1,074.8 mm (42.31”). If we calculate that this may have been the amount of rainfall for those five missing months then the average annual rainfall for the 30-year POR (1981-2010) would be slightly higher at 13,076.8 mm (514.83”). For the 1971-2000 POR the average was drier with 12,189 mm (479.88”). However, these earlier POR’s had many more months missing than the latest 1981-2010 POR so the figures are more of an estimation using average monthly rainfall figures.
For the POR of 1961-1990 the average annual precipitation for Puerto Lopez was 13,327 mm (524.69”). The Colombian meteorological organization IDEAM has provided additional information concerning rainfall in other wet locations during this 1961-1990 POR (see list below). Of particular interest is the site called La Concha that is, like Puerto Lopez, in the Cauca Department of Colombia and apparently near Puerto Lopez although I have been unable to find coordinates for the site (it should not be confused with another town named La Concha in the Antioquia Department).
A table of average annual precipitation for the POR of 1961-1990 at the wettest locations in Colombia. La Concha’s 13,007 mm (512.09”) is not far behind that of Puerto Lopez. Data courtesy of IDEAM.
It would be useful to find the latest rainfall data for POR 1981-2010 at La Concha (if the site is still in operation) in order to help corroborate the amazing figures from Puerto Lopez. I will keep you posted of any new information that comes to light.
KUDOS: Henry Oswaldo Benevides and Carlos Rocha of the Colombian national meteorological service IDEAM. Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for digging up great data and bringing it to my attention.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
On March 18th I blogged about the new contender for wettest inhabited place on earth Puerto Lopez, Colombia. Here are a few more details on the subject.
A photograph of the airport at Puerto Lopez de Micay. It is not clear if the rain gauge is located at the airport or in the actual town nearby. Photo by Zavi from mapcarta.com
The precipitation data for Puerto Lopez began in April 1960 and continues to date although I do not have statistics for the site later than February 2012. However, looking at the data for the last official POR (period of record) 1981-2010 there is data for all but five of the 360 months (the missing months were Nov-Dec 1999, Nov 2003, and June-July 2004). Even without those months the average annual precipitation for the 30-year POR came to 12,897.6 mm (507.78”). This works out to an average monthly rainfall of 1,074.8 mm (42.31”). If we calculate that this may have been the amount of rainfall for those five missing months then the average annual rainfall for the 30-year POR (1981-2010) would be slightly higher at 13,076.8 mm (514.83”). For the 1971-2000 POR the average was drier with 12,189 mm (479.88”). However, these earlier POR’s had many more months missing than the latest 1981-2010 POR so the figures are more of an estimation using average monthly rainfall figures.
For the POR of 1961-1990 the average annual precipitation for Puerto Lopez was 13,327 mm (524.69”). The Colombian meteorological organization IDEAM has provided additional information concerning rainfall in other wet locations during this 1961-1990 POR (see list below). Of particular interest is the site called La Concha that is, like Puerto Lopez, in the Cauca Department of Colombia and apparently near Puerto Lopez although I have been unable to find coordinates for the site (it should not be confused with another town named La Concha in the Antioquia Department).
A table of average annual precipitation for the POR of 1961-1990 at the wettest locations in Colombia. La Concha’s 13,007 mm (512.09”) is not far behind that of Puerto Lopez. Data courtesy of IDEAM.
It would be useful to find the latest rainfall data for POR 1981-2010 at La Concha (if the site is still in operation) in order to help corroborate the amazing figures from Puerto Lopez. I will keep you posted of any new information that comes to light.
KUDOS: Henry Oswaldo Benevides and Carlos Rocha of the Colombian national meteorological service IDEAM. Thanks to Maximiliano Herrera for digging up great data and bringing it to my attention.
Christopher C. Burt
Weather Historian
Extreme Weather Precipitation Records
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