receives less rain annually than Quibdó. The extreme rainfall occurs because the Andes, to the east of the city, block the westerly winds driven by the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Throughout the year, owing to the Humboldt Current off the West coast of South America, these winds remain centred in the north of the continent at Quibdó’s longitudes. The result is that the extremely unstable, ascending air from the Intertropical Convergence Zone is consistently forced to rise over the Chocó plain; as it cools, enormous quantities of moisture precipitate as rainfall. What is more, due to the exuberant nature and biodiversity in the region, a biotic pump phenomena causes the Chocó low-level-jet, another important factor in driving atmospheric moisture from the Pacific into the Colombian Andes. Rain falls almost every day from clouds in intense thunderstorms; the region has a wet season year round. Some 309 days (84%) of the year are rainy. Sunny periods seldom last more than a few hours after sunrise. Quibdó has only 1,276 hours of sunshine annually, and it ranks as one of the cloudiest cities in the world. Its sunniest month is July, with typically a total of 135 hours of sunshine for the entire month. Transportation Quibdo is served by El Caraño Airport with flights by three commercial airlines. Notable residents Jackson Martínez (b. 1986), former professional footballer who played as a striker Elvis Rivas (b. 1987), footballer Wbeymar Angulo (b. 1992), professional footballer who plays for the Armenia national football team Edwin Mosquera (b. 2001), professional footballer who plays for Atlanta United See also Wettest places on Earth Cherrapunji Big Bog, Maui Lloró References External links Municipalities of Chocó Department Capitals of Colombian departments Weather extremes of Earth