the Intertropical Convergence Zone

French Guiana is swept yearly by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. This is the line of clouds that form at the meteorological border between the northern hemisphere (anti-cyclone of the Açores) and the southern hemisphere (anti-cyclone of Saint Helen). The Intertropical Convergence Zone gets positioned over French Guiana twice a year; it's the rainy season with showers pretty much every day. When the ICZ is positioned at a higher or lower latitude, it's the dry season with clear skies and strong sun.

Mid-August is the time the Intertropical Convergence Zone leaves French Guiana to position itself further north. For the Caribbean and the United States, that means hurricane season begins but for us, it's the beginning of the dry season. This year, the ICZ is lingering a bit longer over Guiana... there's been a lot of rain lately and more to come next week too.

The rainy season is also rainbow season since the sun always emerges between two showers. I've seen dozens of rainbows this past week, so I decided to take a shot of one from our apartment balcony the other day.

Yes, in French Guiana every cloud has a silver lining... and a gang of illegal gold miners searching for the pot of gold.