Climate & Beauty – Color

Rated by National Geographic as the 2^nd Best Climate in the World, the semi-tropical climate in Lake Chapala, Mexico is probably the first major attraction to the area.

Lake Chapala is an oasis for Canadians, Americans and Europeans.  Many of us live here full time, others part time; “Snowbirds” from all over Canada come to escape the cold winters and “Sunbirds” from the Sunbelt States (only 600 miles from Texas - 965.6 km) for the summer months to get away from the heat and humidity of places such as Florida, Arizona, Texas and parts of California. And of course people from many other places.

Although National Geographic rates Lake Chapala as the 2nd best climate, we really think of it as the best; taking into consideration all the other benefits we enjoy here, not the least of which is easy access - a few hours and you're back home with friends and family.

The Lake sits about 5200 feet (1584.96 meters) above sea level so we get virtually no humidity.  The triple mountain range surrounding the lake protects the area from prevailing northerly winds creating this excellent micro climate we so enjoy.  The effects of the lake and mountains ensure that temperatures are pleasantly warm year ‘round, averaging about 23.34^o Celsius (74^o Fahrenheit).

April and May are our hot and dry months with temperatures in the 80’s and 90’s with nighttime lows around 60^o.   Fortunately it is the sun not the air that is hot.  When you step in the shade you can feel at least a ten degree difference, so we are always comfortable, no matter the time of year. 

I never realized that color was such an important part of my life until moving to Mexico.  When you have a 365 day growing season, sunshine nearly every day of the year, and a four month rainy season, is it any wonder that the semi-tropical climate we enjoy supports such incredible beauty. 

You will find flowering trees here that would be plants back home.  Six to eight foot Poinsettia trees at Christmas will delight you.  They start turning color about November and stay till the gardener’s cut them back in April.  The Jacaranda (spring flowering) tree puts on a breathtaking floral display.  As you look beyond at the grey and dry mountains (before rainy season) and then back at these trees that look like someone above took big buckets of purple paint and just dumped it on the trees. Its vivid lilac-blue clusters of trumpet shaped blossoms appear in February (our spring) and within a couple of months fall to the earth carpeting the ground with this purple mass of color.  It is said that if you are walking underneath the Jacaranda tree and one of the trumpet blossoms falls on your head you will be favored by good fortune.

The Primavera and Taberchin trees are just as beautiful, but my personal favorite will always be the Jacaranda.  Apparently the long period with no rain and the intense sun by this time of the year, causes them to burst out in bloom. 

June to September is the rainy season and once the rains start the temperature can drop ten degrees or more.  For many of us, this is our favorite time of the year.  By May the mountains are dry and grey and once the rains begin you can practically watch them turn green before your eyes and before long the hills are filled with wild flowers and are lush lush green.

The rains usually start between the 1^st and 15^th of June.  Our first signal that the rains are iminent is when we hear the “rain birds” calling for the rain, about five weeks in advance.

Annual Rainfall is around 34 inches.  On occasion, during the eight month dry season, we can have the odd rain shower but they are few and far between and don’t usually have the intensity like in the rainy season.

For the first couple of weeks we experience wind with the rains.  Sometimes, the skies over the lake will blacken and rolling thunder will trumpet a torrential downpour – a memorable sight and sound show.  It is spectacular.  Thunder and lightning shows across the lake and over the mountains – better than watching anything on TV.  It usually only rains at night and seldom interferes with any planned activity. The following morning is usually warm and sunny. 

In these summer evenings (rainy season), you may need a light jacket or sweater, but the days are usually beautiful. The last few years we have been getting an abundance of rain; bringing our lake from the low level of about 30% of its capacity to over 70% so for those of us living here, we say: “let it rain”.  

As if the thunder and lightning wasn’t spectacular enough, wait till you see the magnificent sunsets.  The sun shining through the black and white clusters of fluffy clouds is a picture no camera can do justice to.

Fall (October and November) is a sensational time of the year.  The rains have stopped, the air is fresh, everything is sparkling clean and the hillsides and gardens are a mixture of emerald green and vibrant colors – all sorts of flowers, plants and flowering trees.  Truly a gardener’s paradise.

December and January are what we call our winter months.  Of course the days are sunny and warm and T-shirts and shorts can be worn most days.  Mornings and evenings are a little cooler and you’ll likely need a jacket or sweater.  To give you an idea of how cold it doesn’t get, the majority of our restaurants in Lake Chapala are indoor / outdoor.  On a cool evening they may put on the fire and turn on one or two of those tall restaurant heaters and that seems to do the trick.

Throughout the year the mornings and evenings are cooler, great for tennis, golf or taking the walking trail up the mountains to the Little Chapel or the Old Burial Grounds.

Clearly this near-perfect weather is a major factor in why Lake Chapala has the largest population of Americans and Canadians outside Canada or the US, as well as many Europeans – people from thirty one nations enjoy the beauty along the shores of Lake Chapala.  Active lifestyles are a direct result of our beautiful weather and the motto “Live Younger Longer” clearly is strongly endorsed.  

No air-conditioning, no heating, no humidity – allows you to live an outdoor life here where your garden is like a private park, just for you.  So much color.  So much beauty.  A wonderful laid-back life to enjoy.

Every single day of the ten and half years we have lived here, we sit on our terrace and look out over the lake and mountains, soaking up the beauty and appreciating every single precious minute we have been here.  Every day the view is different.  Every season brings new treasures.  

The Tropic of Cancer effectively divides the country into temperature and tropical zones.  Land north of the twenty-fourth parallel experiences cooler temperatures during the winter months.  South of the point, temperatures are fairly constant year round and vary solely as a function of elevation.

Footnote: We were almost finished writing the topics for the website when we realized we hadn’t done Climate.  Here there are no weather stations.  We seldom talk about the weather except to say: “another ho-hum perfect day in paradise”.  What could be better!