January marks the start of the summer in Colombia, which lasts until April. But, if you’ve been in Bogotá these last several weeks, there’s hardly been a “verano” as the capital has been pounded by heavy rainfall and hail.

We can’t blame La Niña for this furious weather, claims Colombia’s Meteorological Agency, Ideam. Instead, the cause for this unstable weather is an unseasonably humid Amazon Basin that is generating huge cumulonimbus clouds, and as they move west towards the Eastern Cordillera, are colliding with colder winds moving in from the Pacific.

Ideam claims that the worst of the hail storms may be over, and Bogotanos can look forward to sunny mornings over the next several weeks. This should be welcome news after hail and powerful winds have borne down on the city causing widespread flooding and snarling traffic just as everyone is returning to the capital after the holidays.

If the afternoons remain rather unpredictable: best make appointments early in the day to avoid being caught up in a torrential storm. And, remember: never leave home without an umbrella as these “micro climates” move in and out quickly. The Ideam also forecasts that the powerful convergence of two weather patterns over the capital can cause funnel clouds that pick up debris and cause damage to trees and roofs.