Is El Niño coming?

February 21st, 2008 La Encantada, Peru

Monsoons

Peru experiences what is referred to as a rainy season. Last year that was a fair description of the period from December to March. It tended to rain a few hours at night, a few times per week. This year more closely resembles a monsoon season. Every day it begins raining around 5pm and continues off and on until about 8pm where it begins pour. This continues until about 8am. The entire town is complete mud. The streets are impassable. Several times I have had to ditch my sandals for bare feet because my sandals become lodged 2 inches deep in mud and refuse to accompany my feet along the path.

From January to May, a river runs from the mountains in the sierra through town to Piura and all the way to the ocean. Last year I visited the river several times with neighborhood kids to cool off. At its widest point last year, the river spanned the width of a basketball court. This year is a different story. I think at some points the river spans more than one football field.

I went to visit the families whose houses back up to the river. Although their homes normally set about a football field or so away from the riverbanks, the overflow is approaching disaster. Several homes showed me where the water had entered their animal corrals. If it rises any higher, it will seep into their homes. I offered myself in the case of any need. These people are rightfully scared.
Although the town is a disaster, which makes visiting families difficult, the rain is actually a blessing for several reasons. The farmers are delighted because it is softening up the hard soil. The rain considerably cools the town off at night, making the task of sleeping much more comfortable. The roofs are made of tin, so the pitter patter is quite soothing. My family gets somewhat annoyed because at times the drumming is so loud they can´t even hear the television