Comments on: Chiclayo: Twenty-four hours of rain

By: Miguel Vera

Miguel Vera — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:27:30 +0000

Tom’s right, his rainfall figures pretty much say it all. And I can confirm, having lived in Chiclayo for 16 years, that most summers are almost rain-free. That’s why northern cities are usually not prepared for these events, as Stu said.

By: Tom Filipowicz

Tom Filipowicz — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:46:10 +0000

Having lived in Piura, another northern coastal city, for a few years, this is incorrect. Heavy rains happen most summers.

Perhaps in your experience, but not in mine, and not according to either historical weather statistics or the people I talked with in Chiclayo. As stated in the article, the average annual rainfall for Chiclayo is .95 inches, with February the leader at 0.38 inches. Heavy rains cannot be frequent with averages that low.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:14:53 +0000

Rain in any appreciable amount is always a problem for coastal cities like Chiclayo. It happen so infrequently that city infrastructure planning disregards it as do architects designing/building businesses and houses.

Having lived in Piura, another northern coastal city, for a few years, this is incorrect. Heavy rains happen most summers. During El Niño years, the rains are heavier and longer in duration. But every summer, the city will be hit with a number of heavy downpours, folks go back to sweeping water off the roof, the sewers overflow, the shantytowns become a public health disaster, newspaper coverage revolves around ‘why hasn’t local government adapted to the rains yet’, etc. The real question is, if rains are so frequent, why hasn’t local government been able to afford to make the necessary changes to sewer systems and roads?