September 26, 2020

Rainy Season

The rainy season allows for lush corn. Photo by Katherine Volkovski.

There are two seasons in Tepoztlán: rainy and dry. Most of the year (December through May) it’s dry and sunny. Traditionally, the rainy season gets started in June, tapering in from a rainstorm once a week, to raining every day, beginning in August. More recently, the rainy seasons have shifted to later starting and ending times. This might be due to a shift caused by global warming.

During the rainy season, we often see spectacular skies, with clouds oozing down the strange mountain shapes that characterize Tepoztlan. I like to call them “mystical mists.”

Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Clouds draped over the mountains during rainy season. Photos by author

Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Slideshow of photos from my window. Video by author

Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Slideshow of "mystical mists." Video by author

Sometimes we have hurricanes. Other times, during high pressure storms, we have a lot of wind, but it is sunny and dry.

So far this year, we haven’t had as much rain as usual, and the aquifers are lower than usual. Hopefully, in the next couple of months we will make up the difference.

Most houses and buildings do not have rain catchment systems. To me it is sad to see a stream running down the road during a heavy rain.

The storms are usually electrical, building during the day, letting loose late afternoon or in the night. Here’s a video I shot from my apartment’s back terrace. It was unusual to see the low hanging clouds moving in so rapidly.

Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Video of an unusual precursor to a storm. Video by author

It’s very pleasant to have the air cleaned by the storm with sun the next day, and to observe the lushness of the verdant vegetation during this season. When there are several days in a row of gray, without sunshine, I get depressed.

The rains taper off as the season ends, in November.

Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico. Clouds slideshow. Video by author