Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

Interesting isn't it, that there are no real stats to determine how many foreigners live and visit our area each year. On the internet you're apt to see a variety of wild guesses-up to and including AARP who says there are 50,000 "gringos" in Guadalajara. Actually the most recent Jalisco census states that there are 40,000 foreigners in Jalisco-this entire state.

Remember that figure includes all of the folks who have moved here from Central and South America, the Japanese and other Orientals who live and work in Guadalajara, students from around the world attending the Universities in Guadalajara and those who have transferred with their companies to set up shop in this state.

We don't know exactly how many live here, but we're guessing that about 5,000 folks from the United States, Canada and 61 other countries have made a permanent move to Lake Chapala and live here year-round.

Of course that's not all of us. There are also our "snowbirds", "sweatbirds" and the tourists to be counted. At least 10,000 refugees from the frozen north arrive between October and April each year to spend some or the winter months here in the area that has been called "Eternal Spring" and claims the title of the world's 2nd best climate.

There's another migration in July, August and September of "sweatbirds". These folks stream to Lakeside from the hot climates of Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and even the beach cities of Mexico. Did you know that once the rain season begins here at Lake Chapala in May or June, the temperatures cool off, the mountains turn a vibrant shade of green and the weather is darn near perfect-certainly better than the hot humid climates the sweatbirds are escaping?

This summer we've had several days that have been overcast or cloudy. Even so, we've only had a couple of days with rain during the daytime hours-we're not complaining. In fact we're giving thanks that we have this instead of the 22 straight rainy days in Oklahoma and the flooding in Texas.

If you are thinking of checking out life at Lake Chapala, we think the summer is the best time for a first visit. It's easier to get a hotel reservation, easier to find a table in restaurants and the weather is just darn near perfect.

Life is Good at Lake Chapala!

YIPPEE!! The Rainy season is starting. We had rain at Lakeside this week--twice, in fact!

I know that isn't an earth-shaking event in many places, but we've not had measurable rain here in Ajijic since last November, and the start of the rainy season signals a number of delightful changes for Lake Chapala residents.

Each year between June and October, the Lake Chapala area receives around 39" of rain. One of our subscribers has become our personal weatherman. Marv Armendinger who lives in the village of El Limon at the west edge of San Juan Cosala reports in periodically with the rain fall amounts.

This week he revealed that on May 29 (the first measurable rain of this spring, he received 1/10 of an inch. Our next welcome rain fall was on Tuesday, June 5, when he reported 3/10 and his friend who checks rainfall in San Antonio Tlayacapan (these two reporters live less than 10 miles apart) reported 1/4 of an inch. That same night, it rained over an inch in the city of Chapala (about five miles east of San Antonio). It's always like that, each area can receive vastly different amounts of precipitation in the same time span.

The first big rain came Friday, June 8, Marv reported an even inch in his gauge and his San Antonio friend found a hefty inch and a half from the overnight storm.

Shhhh. Don't tell too many people, but most of the folks who live at Lakeside say that the summer rainy season is their favorite time of the year. Here are some of the reasons why:

• The daily high afternoon temperatures drop from the low to mid-90s to very comfortable days in the low to mid 80s.
  
• The overnight low temperature drops from the 70 degree mark to the upper 50s.
  
• The breezes that accompany the frequent rains cool our homes.
  
• The frequent rains wash our world clean - everything is fresh and beautiful.
  
• The rain-washed air carries far less dust and pollen and that relieves those who suffer from allergies.
  
• We no longer need to water our plants and lawns every day.
  
• The rains bring moderate humidity to relieve our dried out skin and noses (the humidity in April and May is usually in the 17 to 30% levels and that's drier than the Sahara Desert!)
  
• The clouds of dust that have been rolling into the house for the past six weeks is quieted. We can see our tabletops again!
  
• The plants in our gardens seem to grow by spurts overnight.
  
• The trees and bushes covering the mountains around Lake Chapala begin to grow, and in just a few weeks our Mexican mountains are as green and lush as those in Hawaii.
  
• The rains which normally occur at night create perfect sleeping conditions. Cool breezes flutter our curtains; we snuggle deeper into our blankets and drift off to sleep listening to the rumble of distant thunder and the welcome pitter patter of raindrops.
  

The weather patterns that create Lake Chapala's legendary "Second Best Climate in the World" also protect our area from damaging winds and hail. These tropical inversion systems gather clouds during the late afternoons and ensure that almost all of the annual 39 inches of rain falls on our area at night.

Here, however is our disclaimer: Contrary to what you may have read in some other overly optimistic internet sites, it does occasionally rain in the daytime. These few grey, cloudy and drizzly days each year are always the byproduct of a tropical storm traveling up Mexico's Pacific coast or a developing hurricane skimming north along the Atlantic.

There's another misconception that we'd like to clarify. Folks are shocked to discover that we do have days when temperatures reach the mid-90s in April and May and dip down into the 40s in January. They've read that the annual mean temperature here is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and in scanning the information, they slipped over the words "annual mean temperature". If we average all of the daytime highs and lows, for an entire year, I'm sure we'd find that the current annual mean temperature is still 72 degrees, give or take a tiny fraction of a degree.

If you want to know more about the weather at Lake Chapala, take a look at the information in the "From the Editor" column in the June 2007 issue of Living at Lake Chapala at http://www.mexico-insights.com/.

That "From the Editor" column is alwyas available to all readers, if you have a subscription or not. The June 2007 issue features a chart with the average high and low for each month of the year as well as a 2006 monthly tally of rainfall amounts from our friend, El Limon resident Marvin Armendinger.

Come back to the blog soon. Our next column will feature how a view of the first rainfall written a couple of years ago by then new residents Bill and Neva Haslbauer. Experience the thrill of the beginning of the rainy season through their eyes.

Life is Good at Lake Chapala