It happened in San Pancho on May 26 around 7 p.m.  It wasn't much ... only .12 of an inch ... but it was rain.  Our first of the season.

As the front page graphic on this site indicates, we'd had a trace of precipitation before then (.04 inch).  And some mornings in May that had a great deal of condensation or dew on the vegetation and on ground surfaces.

But on the 26th it did rain and what a welcome event.  The beginning of the rainy season for 2008.

As for what the rainy season will be like this year, we've got one look into the future from an expert in Guadalajara.  Here's his outlook as published in this story from Guadalajara Reporter:

Northern areas of Mexico may suffer drought this year but the state of Jalisco is set for a good rainy season.

That’s the view of Angel Meulenert Peña, director of the Universidad de Guadalajara Astronomy and Meteorology Institute, who says this year’s rains will begin in earnest around June 10 with three or four consecutive downpours.

On average, he says, about 950-1,000 mm of rain are expected to fall in 2008 (about 1,000 liters per cubic meter), with more than 95 percent of it bathing the state over the next few months.

One thousand millimeters is nearly 40 inches of rain!  Let's hope Sr. Meulenert is correct.  To date then, we're at .16 inches or 4 millimeters.

Well, it's a start!

It's been a normal April, with one exception.  The remarkable thing about this month is that we still were having cooler than normal evenings.

Here are the averages:

High Low Average

Temperature 84 F/29            56/13  73/23

Dew Point 72 F/22 C  50/10  65/18

Humidity 97%  36%  76%

Wind Speed 14 mph/ 22.5 km/h from NW  1.9 mpg/3.1 km/h

Wind Gust 15 mph/ 24 km/h from NNE

Wind WNW

Pressure 30.01in/1916.1hPa  29.77in/ 1008.0hPa

Precipitation 0.01 in/ 0.3 mm

Compare our averages with those at Puerto Vallarta for April. The average high for PV is 80 F/27 C, while April 08 at the weather station was 84/29.  Certainly well within a normal range.

The overnight low temperatures are a different story.  The average April night time lows at PV  are 64/18, while the weather station for April 08 was 56/13 .  An 8 degree difference!

For the month of April we have been still beginning our days, pre-sunrise, in the area of 60 degrees.  Thank goodness the sun was up earlier so if you slept in a bit, you'd think it really had been warmer overnight.  Not quite yet.  Stay tuned!

A big date for the weather station is approaching.  Mid-May we will complete a full year of data-collecting at the San Pancho weather station.  We can then begin working on our own San Pancho year to year comparisons instead of relying on the PV averages.

This month was special for me at the weather station because I got to meet some new friends from the Oficina de Meteorologia at the  Universidad de Guadalajara/Centro Unversitario de la Costa.  None other than the head of the  Department,  Mtro. Victor Cornejo Lopez.  He and his associates are hard at work collecting data from Nayarit and Jalisco to aid in predicting local weather conditions, with a emphasis on hurricane activity.

Unfortunately there are very few weather stations in Jalisco and Nayarit.  There's the station in Tepic, one in Puerto Vallarta at the airport and of course, the San Pancho station.  Funding is very tight for additional weather stations, so Sr. Lopez is delighted to have our data for his work.  And we're glad to be on board with him!

Seems that my friend who is a long-time-resident of San Pancho has got it right:  it’s been cold (OK, chilly) this past month.  In fact, he says this whole 07/08 winter has been on the cool side here in San Pancho.

So for March, let’s check out his recollection.  He’s usually reliable.  Usually.

Hi temperature for March was 88 F / 28 C.  The lows?  49/10.  And after checking the weather station data I learned that there were only three days in the month when the night-time low (which occurs usually just before sunrise) did not dip below 60 degrees.  That’s right, 28 days when we got below 60 and a couple of excursions below 50.

Check out the day by day graph of high and low temperatures for March above.

The average March temperatures in Puerto Vallarta (the only reference database nearby) shows that March typically has an average daytime high of 78 F / 26 C.  And and an overnight low average of 61 F / 16 C.

It’s apparent my friend was right.

Again!

Maybe I can put those long pants in the back of the closet now.  Things are getting warmer, the sun is higher in the sky, and the days are getting longer.

The warmest day of the month was yesterday, “Leap Day” if you will.  It got up to 78.3 F (25.7 C), with the average daytime high for February at 69 (21) degrees.

As usual, you can check out all the details for February 2008 at the Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=INAYARIT2

Not much more to add, except this month is the venue for San Pancho’s Music Festival and according to my friends, tons of folks from Mexico and elsewhere will descend on our pueblo for Semana Sancta.  Easter comes early this year, the 23rd, the earliest in some eighty years according to a friend who keeps track of such things.

Again, I’d like to thank those who contact us to say “thanks” for the weather station.  It’s my pleasure.

The photo above:  the view of the Pacific from Alta Vista, just a few kilometers north of San Pancho.

January was chilly around Mexico and long-time residents say it was cooler than normal here, too!  I’m glad to know that since we just escaped the really cool (read: cold) winters in the high desert at San Miguel de Allende.

How cold did it get?  Down to 50.4 F/10.2 C on the 16th, though the average temperature for the month was  65.4 F/18.6 C.  Cooler than normal according to reliable sources.  It was 82 F/28 C on the 3rd and 29th of the month ... so I think we’re back on track for warmer days ahead.

If you are really into stats (unlike those sad ones yesterday when my Pats lost to the Giants in a very undistinguished game), remember there’s tons of numbers at the Weather Underground.  It’s all generated and uploaded there 24/7 by your very own San Pancho Weather Station. 

You may have noticed some trace amounts of precipitation during the course of the month (I notice we already have some for February).  Truth is, it’s dew. Collecting in the tiny buckets that collect rain for the station.  Dave Thurlow, meteorologist at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, says you should know that dew doesn’t come down from the sky.

Dave reports that in 1812, William Wells, an American born doctor working in London, found that the ground loses heat to space, allowing it to cool to the dew point, the point at which water vapor next to the ground condenses into dew or frost. So the dew wasn't rising from underground or falling from the sky.  It simply appeared out of thin air!

So now it’s time for true confession here on the San Pancho Weather Blog.  Those “trace amounts” of “rain” during the month, which we know is dew, have been deleted from the monthly and annual totals in the database.  We’re looking for wet stuff that comes down from above and dew just won’t qualify, thanks to the observant Mr. Wells.

By the way, if you hadn’t heard about the Mount Washington Observatory before, check it out: http://www.mountwashington.org/  It’s one of the oldest weather stations in the States and sits atop New England’s highest peak.  A mere mountain, though, by Sierra standards!

Incidentally, the spanish word “sierra” comes from the Latin word “serra” and means “saw”!  As in table or hack.

It looks like 2007 was a typical weather year in San Pancho with no unusual activity to report. Though folks who've been here for some time can attest to the fact that late December 2007 (as well as early January 2008) have been colder than normal.

When my best friend and I visited SP in December 2006 and fell in love with the town, the nice warm weather Christmas week 2006 was part of the enchantment of the place. We decided to purchase our home after being here for only three days! But we aren't looking for a weather rebate just yet. The rest of Mexico has been having some unusually cold weather and back in our former home, San Miguel de Allende, they've had at least two freezes to date!

Some highlights for 2007 from the SanPanchoWeather Station:

The high temperature for the year was 95.6 F (35.3 C) on October 24th. The low for the year was 53.3 F (11.8 C) on the last day of the year!

Average temperature for 2007: 79 F (26.1 C). Pretty comfortable indeed. So not to complain about a few chilly nights. (OK, I'll admit it. We dug out the electric blanket a few days ago.)

Rainfall for the year was 27.5 inches (698.5 mm). Nearly all of it was recorded in July, August and September, as is the norm. Most rain in one day was on August 23rd, with 2.43 inches. Another 2.4 inches fell two days later! The only other real deluge was on September 23rd with 2.02 inches, with another 1.39 inches on the 25th. That pretty much signaled the end of the rainy season.

If you're interested in more numbers, graphs and details on last year's weather, it's all available at the Weather Underground at this page:

http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=INAYARIT2&day=31&year=2007&month=12&graphspan=year

As for the current 'cold' weather spell: our low temperature for January through the 14th was 52.3 F (11.3 C) on the morning of the 12th.

Enough already!

December looks like it will be a "normal" month, with the usual average temperatures and rainfall.

Really not much of the later. In fact, only a trace amount of rain: less than a 10th of an inch. And that's really not rain! It's actually the rain gauge measuring trace amounts of water - the early morning dew. The same dew that collects on your car around sunrise. The same dew that guarantees the San Pancho dust will stick to your car for the day!

For the year, we'll have just a bit over 30 inches of rain: 30.19 to be exact.

Temperatures have certainly moderated. The low for December 2007 (through the 23rd) was 58 F (14.5C) at sunrise on the 17th. The high for December? It was 85 F (29 C) on December 1st! Clearly the temperatures of the season past!

Now we've had our full moon, the highest tides of the year, and the comforter on the bed at night. Little did I think we'd turn into such warm weather wimps that we'd need a comforter just because the temperature dipped below 60!

But then, when my son and his family arrive from New England to begin their Christmas visit with us tomorrow, I know they'll bask in our 75 degree daytime temperatures! And what a wonderful holiday gift for us to have them visit!

From San Pancho Weather, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year ... and yes, Merry Christmas!

From the information I can gather, the average November rainfall is a little less than an inch in the Puerto Vallarta area.

We received our November rain on the 25th! Just a little more than a half an inch. The rest of the month netted only a trace (.04 inch) of precipitation.

The rainfall of the 25th occurred in the early morning hours, between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m., with the largest burst around 6:40 a.m.

Other than that, it has been an uneventful, if beautiful, November in San Pancho! And we can be fairly certain that good weather will continue through the holidays.

On the SanPanchoWeather station front, there's a possibility we might have access to a streaming video of our beautiful coastline here in town. Stay tuned!

Seems like we got the much-welcomed change in our conditions during the course of the month, with a few notable highlights.

Tropical Storm Kiko was the big attraction of the month, hovering off the coast far South of us, but not giving much of a hint of where it was headed. The good news is that Kiko decided to head West and the most we noticed was some light rain and wind activity.

The National Hurricane Center offers this in their October summary:

FOR THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC...EAST OF 140 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE..
ONLY ONE TROPICAL STORM...KIKO...FORMED IN THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. THIS IS BELOW THE CLIMATOLOGICAL MEAN OF TWO TROPICAL STORMS DEVELOPING DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER...WITH ONE BECOMING A HURRICANE. SO FAR...2007 IS THE SECOND QUIETEST SEASON (BASED ON RELIABLE RECORDS SINCE 1971) BEHIND 1977 IN TERMS OF ACE...ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY...WHICH IS A MEASURE OF THE STRENGTH AND DURATION OF NAMED STORMS AND HURRICANES. JULIETTE...A SEPTEMBER TROPICAL STORM...DISSIPATED EARLY IN OCTOBER.

Second quietest storm season. That sounds good, doesn't it? For more on Kiko, check the October Tropical Weather Summary from the National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2007/tws/MIATWSEP_oct.shtml?

October had an average humidity of 81%, but certainly that dropped off during the final days of the month. Average temperature was 80 F/27 C.

High temperature for the month was 96 F/35 C on October 24th, the low on October 28th gave us a chilly morning start at 62 F/16 C. But it was a pleasant relief.

The rainiest day? October 3rd with more than 1/2 inch. At one point in that brief storm, the rainfall rate reached more than 8 inches an hour! But that rate was momentary and the storm wasn't much longer. The total rain for October was about an inch. So I presume, newcomer that I am, we have reached the end of the rainy season for the year.

Rabbit, rabbit!

My esposa says a friend of hers from Boston said this magic incantation on the first day of each month. Supposed to bring you good luck for the new month. Rabbit, rabbit.

September was cooler than usual. That according to reliable sources who've lived in San Pancho for several years. But we had some really hot spells too, with the Heat Index reaching 107 degrees for a few minutes one day late in the month.

Rainfall? About 8 inches total for September, bringing us to 27 inches for the year to date. And one long period without rain (see previous blog entry): Sept 12 - 20. Most rain in one day? More than 2 inches on September 23rd.

Average temperatre for the month was 81.9 F . The yearly average so far is virtually the same: 82.0 F (27.8 C).

It'll get cooler now, right?

If you want more numbers and statistics and the complete database from the San Pancho weather station, here's the address at the Weather Underground:
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=INAYARIT2

Happy browsing and Happy October! Rabbit, rabbit.

The last recorded rainfall in San Pancho was very early in the morning on September 12th.

A native-born PV'er I met this week said he's never seen a rainy season so short on rain in his city.

Hmmm ... I wonder if those fixes I made to the house to prevent rain coming in will work? Will I have to wait til next year to find out?

This morning's rainfall brought nearly two inches of rain to San Pancho!

It started around 4:30 am and wrapped up at 7.

Interesting to note that for a brief while at 6 a.m., the rainfall rate reached 3 inches an hour!

Any washouts at your place?

While press reports say Hurricane Henriette claimed at least 8 lives and many thousands more lost power, this latest Eastern Pacific visitor only brought us a little more rain.

Nearly an inch of rain in the first week of September, but that's behind the rate of August. And we've enjoyed some delicious sunny days and relatively cool evenings, too.

Can this be a sign of things to come? When checking out our weather site, remember to glance at the Heat Index. Even with temperatures in the upper 70s, the heavy-duty humidity can make it feel like 90 F.

It seems that part of our 3.67 inches of rain this week can be attributed to Hurricane Dean! The weather station recorded most of that during the downpour Wednesday night. The final report from the National Hurricane Center on the storm can be found below.

Wherever it came from, we now have more than 6.5 inches for the month of August. And yes, we spent a little time here mopping up after the heavy rain. I'm sure we were not alone in that activity!

---- Here's the NHC final Report on Dean ----

1000 PM CDT WED AUG 22 2007

...DEAN WEAKENING OVER THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF MEXICO...

AT 1000 PM CDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION DEAN WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 100.0 WEST OR ABOUT 95 MILES...150 KM...NORTHWEST OF MEXICO CITY.

THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 21 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION ACROSS MEXICO IS EXPECEDT TO CONTINUE UNTIL DISSIPATION.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MPH...55 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. DEAN IS FORECAST TO DISSIPATE ON THURSDAY.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1000 MB...29.53 INCHES.

DEAN IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF 5 TO 10 INCHES OVER PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL MEXICO...WITH MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES. THESE RAINS COULD CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES.

REPEATING THE 1000 PM CDT POSITION...20.5 N...100.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...WEST NEAR 21 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1000 MB.

THIS IS THE LAST PUBLIC ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON THIS SYSTEM.

Thanks to a local resident who maintains such records, I've learned that there has been only a trace of rainfall Jan - Apr of 2007.

Since the weather station began recording rainfall in May, the "12 Month Rain" starting January 1 (2007) reflects actual total rainfall. As of August 6th: 7.25 inches.

If you have further (or different) information on this year's rainfall, please contact me.

For those who took part in our first little weather "poll", thanks. Clearly, those visiting our site are a mix of folks who are in town year-round ... and those that would like to be!

Welcome to the San Pancho Weather Blog!

We'll make note here of unusual weather events as recorded by the weather station. And we welcome comments from you with information on the weather and related topics.

As a start, I thought you'd like to know that during the heavy downpour on Sunday, July 22, the hourly rain rate reached more than 7 inches per hour. Luckily, that rate lasted for only a few minutes!

I'm still in search of rainfall information for the beginning of calendar year 2007, January through April. If you have a rain guage or know someone who tracks the rainfall amounts, please have them contact me.