Pictures show:
1 Inter-tropical convergence zone or doldrums
2 Doldrums cause rain
3 Shifting of doldrums lead to rainy and dry seasons
I used to think that doldrums only meant “a period of stagnation or slumps; in low spirits, feeling bored and dull, listless”, which is its common meaning, until we met a property sales manager in Panama. He was a commercial jet pilot from California, who retired two years ago to settle in Chiriquí, Panama, which he now calls home. He took on this part-time real estate sales job at the invitation of his friend, but he is really more interested in the lifestyle of the area, plus its golfing. When we told him we were doing a short-term mission in Panama, but taking in some vacation and golf too as we have a little time off in-between ministries, he rolled his eyes and said, “Good luck to you.”
He then pulled out his weather charts and lap top and gave us a lesson in meteorology. The doldrums is the common name for “inter-tropical convergence zone or ITCZ”, and refers to those parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean with low pressure around the equator, and where the prevailing winds are calm. The low pressure is caused by the heat at the equator, causing the warm air to rise and travel north and south high in the atmosphere, eventually subsiding 30 degrees north and south of the equator. As the warm air rises it cools and the trapped moisture condenses, causing rain to fall. However, the doldrums are not stationary, moving a few degrees north and south of the equator depending on the time of the year, leading to rainy and dry season for the tropical countries.
In Panama, the rainy season runs from May to November, and the dry season runs from December to April, when most tourism occurs. During the rainy season, it is typical to have rain each and every day. That has been the pattern throughout the years, like clockwork. That’s why when our pilot friend heard that we were starting our vacation Oct. 31, he chuckled and wished us luck. My wife, however, was very confident and told him that notwithstanding his weather expertise, she can play golf the following week. He laughed and said, “May be if you stay till after Nov. 15. Perhaps it will dry up by that time.” And the result? It rained only the first day of our vacation, but it did not rain from Nov. 1 to 8, until we left Boquete on Nov. 9, then it rained again. We played golf 3 times that week, enjoying warm, sunny weather all the time when we had our break.
We did not deserve anything. But sometimes in His providence God allows His servants to taste His mercies and grace, in little things that are more than we can ask or imagine. Our lesson was more on grace than the weather. Hope you can experience that too.
RayKLiu 