Panama Canal Webcam – Watch Ships Transit Miraflores

The Panama Canal Webcam looks down on the Miraflores Locks, the two step flight that raises and lowers ships at the Pacific end of the waterway. Both lanes are in frame, along with the towing tracks on top of the concrete and the service road crews use between transits. Past the upper chamber the water opens toward Miraflores Lake, forested ridges closing the horizon. When a transit is underway a hull can fill a chamber almost wall to wall, and the level visibly changes as the gates work. Between ships it is quieter: a tug at the wall, rain drifting across the approach.

About the Panama Canal and Miraflores Locks

The canal runs 82 kilometers (51 miles) between the Atlantic and the Pacific and opened on August 15, 1914. Miraflores is the last set of locks a southbound ship passes before the sea, and its two chambers together raise or lower a vessel 16.5 meters (54 feet). Each original chamber gives 304.8 meters (1,000 feet) of usable length and 33.5 meters (110 feet) of width, the measurements that defined the Panamax class.

Above the locks the water widens into Miraflores Lake, the short reach separating this flight from the Pedro Miguel Locks. Higher again is Gatun Lake, the summit of the crossing, 26 meters (85 feet) above the sea. Clear of Miraflores, a southbound ship passes beneath the Bridge of the Americas on its way to Balboa.

Weather and Climate at the Panama Canal

Panama City, at the Pacific entrance, has a tropical savanna climate, and the temperature barely moves through the year. Daily highs typically run 31 to 33 C (88 to 91 F), lows 21 to 23 C (70 to 73 F), and the annual mean is around 27 C (81 F). What changes is the rain. The dry season runs December through April, when mornings are often clear and shadows fall sharply across the lock walls; the wet season runs May through November.

About 1,900 millimeters (74.8 inches) of rain falls in an average year, and the canal lies in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where cloud forms almost continuously. Overcast frames are the norm, and a wet season squall can hide the far end of the locks within minutes. Panama sits close to the equator, so day length changes little between seasons.

Things to Do Near the Panama Canal

The Miraflores Visitor Center sits beside the lock wall, and its terraces put a visitor almost level with a ship in the chamber. Casco Viejo, the old quarter of Panama City, was founded on January 21, 1673 after Henry Morgan destroyed the original settlement two years earlier; the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Church of San Francisco de Asis and Plaza de la Independencia stand inside its street grid. Ancon Hill rises 199 meters (653 feet) between the city and the canal, with a paved track to its summit.

Soberania National Park covers 220 square kilometers (55,000 acres) along the canal, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the city. Its Pipeline Road runs 17.5 kilometers (10.9 miles) through the forest and has recorded more than 400 bird species, against roughly 525 for the park as a whole. Jaguars, ocelots, tapirs and sloths live there, and the Chagres River, which supplies the water spent on every transit, runs through it.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Panama Canal Webcam located?

The camera overlooks the Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side of the canal, in Ancon, Panama Province, northwest of central Panama City.

What can you see on the Panama Canal Webcam?

The lock chambers and gates, the towing tracks, tugs and service craft, the water toward Miraflores Lake, and ships in the chamber during a transit.

How long does it take a ship to cross the Panama Canal?

In 2017 the average passage between the canal’s two outer sets of locks was 11.38 hours, not counting time spent waiting for a slot.

What is the weather like at the Panama Canal?

Warm and humid all year, with highs of 31 to 33 C (88 to 91 F). The dry season lasts December through April, the wet season May through November, and rainfall totals about 1,900 millimeters (74.8 inches).

What is the best time of day to watch ships in the locks?

There is no published timetable for transits, but traffic through Miraflores is typically heavier in the morning and again in the late afternoon.

How big are the original Panama Canal locks?

Each original chamber offers 304.8 meters (1,000 feet) of usable length, 33.5 meters (110 feet) of width and 12.6 meters (41.2 feet) of depth.

Source: Panama Canal Authority