Q: I have been regularly watching the weather in GDL and "the perfect weather" "perpetual springtime" "no humidity" Chapala appears to have almost daily thunder & lightening for the past week and the one to come. Is there some explanation you could give me? Elizabeth, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
A: Hi Elizabeth,
I admit it is confusing. We don't have our own weather station here in Ajijic...I understand someone is taking this on as a hobby, so...maybe some day! Therefore, what you are seeing is the weather from Guadalajara, which can be dramatically different from Lakeside.
As an example, our program director Ana Kabande drove Bill and me to Guadalajara last year during the rainy season (June through September)...it was a beautiful and sunny day...and while she was visiting with some friends in a restaurant, Bill and I decided to wander over to a nearby shopping center. We had been there about 20-30 minutes and were having a great time, when we happened to pass an outside door and saw the security guards holding on with all their might to keep the doors from swinging open. As we looked out in astonishment, all we could see were sheets of water coming down! We felt like we were in a parallel universe. All of a sudden my cell phone rang and it was Ana saying she would come for us. Thank goodness! We told her which entrance we were at and waited about five minutes. When we dashed out to the car, we both got thoroughly soaked. As we headed home, the water built up so fast, it was over the wheels of the car. Ana is an extremely competent driver and has even driven in Mexico City, so we weren't worried. However, I must say, I was very nervous.
As we neared the airport (between Guadalajara and Chapala), the rain slowed down. As we got past the airport, the area started looking dryer and dryer. As we arrived at Lakeside, it hadn't rained at all!
The Lakeside area is considered to be somewhat of a micro-climate, especially in the hollow surrounded by the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains. The lake serves as weather control, exerting a temperate influence. It seldom drops below sixty degrees Fahrenheit. It never soars to the flesh-steaming high heat of Puerto Vallarta in July or August. And, believe it or not, it mostly rains at night! The days are beautiful and sunny.
This is what one expat said on a forum recently about our area:
"First, the climate is a unique micro-climate which is even different from the climate on the south shore of the lake and different from that of Guadalajara. As such, we are all settled on the north shore. There is no similarly attractive place within half an hour of an international airport and within 45 minutes of a beautiful world-class city with most of the amenities one could hope for anywhere in the world; from bullfights to opera and almost every type of restaurant you could hope for. The terrain is acceptable to geriatrics, yet offers nearby mountains for the more energetic. Opportunities to travel in Jalisco or Michoacan are close by and spectacular. We don't have the desert, nor do we have the hot and humid climate of the 'tourist traps', yet we can be there in a few hours if we wish. We don't have hoards of the 'young and restless' flocking into our neighborhood for weekends or spring break. We do have lots of family vacationers from Guadalajara on weekends and that means we have the financial support for the annual round of pageants and fiestas. The area is well flowered all year and the surrounding mountains turn lush and green with the advent of each rainy season. Although the air in Mexico City and Guadalajara suffers heavy pollution, especially in the winter months, the mountains between Lake Chapala and Guadalajara, along with the prevailing winds, keep our little piece of paradise quite clear; the nearest major source of pollution to our west is China! I think we have 'the best of both worlds'; perhaps the best of all worlds."
I thought he expressed it all! We love living here, and as we came from Kansas City, MO, with its high-humidity summers, and its sometimes too-much-darn-snow winters, we seriously do think we live in paradise. I thought I would miss the seasons, but I didn't realize how starved I was for color until I moved here! I hope I never take the blue skies for granted! I marvel when I occasionally look up and see a solid blue sky...not a cloud in sight. That would be a rare day in May if I were still in Kansas City.
I hope I answered your question. When you meet me, you'll realize I have a tendency to go on and on about the Lakeside area, but I always do that about something I love.
Marie also had an opportunity to answer this question just recently from Focus alumnus, David Loates. Here's what she said: "It is funny, we always say that the rain seldom interferes with living here or any planned functions, and we add that Ray golfs every Tuesday afternoon and has never had to cancel because of rain. Well, this past Tuesday was another fine example. At 2 p.m. the storm clouds came in and broke open with pounding down rain. Ray says, 'no worries, we aren't golfing till 3 p.m., it will be nice and clear by then' and sure enough, another great golf game was enjoyed by all. Gotta love it."
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