The Rain Season
Contents:
Introduction
When is the rain season?
How does this affect our fishing or other daily activities?
Heavy rainfall and fishing:
Why do we not get hurricanes?
Storm Preparation
Introduction
It is incredible how many people will not visit our
coastal vacation spots during our “rain season”, even though they may actually
get as much rain as we do where they live. These people visualize monsoon downpours
lasting 24 hours a day for weeks on end…with very little break in the action. The
bad news for these people is they are ill informed. The good news is I am about to
enlighten you. To me, living full time here in Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo for over 16
years now, the rain season is the best time of the year for me. I really look
forward to it.
My training is as a civil engineer, contractor, turned
sport fishing captain, fly fishing guide, author. Because of my formal
education, and original calling in life, I have been keeping rainfall records
for all of the 16 years I have lived here, the dates, and the hours of
duration. I moved here in August of 1998 and had brought my trusty 6 inch
capacity rain gauge from Southern California with me.
About 3 weeks later, during early September, the tail
of a hurricane had whipped over the land, and stalled. The hurricane was being
pushed further offshore by factors which I will explain later. My “trusty” 6
inch rain gage was filled and overflowing in the first 4 hours. Being it was
early morning; I went out and reset it (I dumped the water out). Four hours
later, it was over flowing again. This really upset me being I didn’t have a
clue as to these conditions and what was happening.
Among the stuff I had brought down from California was
a clear plastic tube of 3 feet long and 2 inches in diameter. I threw my
“trusty 6 inch rain gage” in the (wet) trash, glued on a base to the 3 foot
tube, and set it out. I had two thoughts while doing this. The first one is I
was way over my head (pun intended) with the rainfall here. The second thought
was my boat was on the trailer and parked in front of the house. If the damned
rain got over the 3 foot tube, at least we had the boat.
During this stalled tail of the storm, and most
important, there was no wind, we recorded 48 inches of rain in 4 days here. The
government sent in troops to help the washed out home owners who illegally
built high up on the hillsides, with no thought to drainage. A lot of homes
were literally washed away, with our cleaning lady having one of those homes.
With any measurable wind, it could have been a real disaster.
It was a heck of way to break me in to living here, but
we have not have had anything like that since. It was a great opportunity for
me to open my eyes and understand what can happen here, and how to prepare.
Let’s go back to the “wind” situation. We can, and do,
get a lot of very intense rainfall. I consider a 6 inch rainfall in 4 hours a
very good amount of rain for us. But, if there is no wind, there is no damage
done, because this coast has existed for millennia, and runoff is all taken
care of in a few hours. Now, here is the kicker…Almost 90% of our rainfall durations come between 7:00 in the evening
and 3:00 in the morning. Because of the Sierra Madre Mountains close behind
us, our weather here is dictated 100% by the ocean and the currents. The 9,000
foot Sierra Madres block any influence of Mexico’s mainland weather patterns.
If the water is 82° or more, we get thunderstorms.
Even though our thunderstorms rarely have wind of any
magnitude or duration, I can also recall many exceptions to the rule, but again
they were spread out over 16 years. I remember Paul Phillip’s Fintastic 100%
Tag and Release Tournament for sailfish, when a huge storm, with wind, moved in
on us. The storm lasted all day on November 9, and wiped out the fishing for
inshore and offshore. The storm even
moved a sailboat off its anchor and beached it next to the municipal pier.
Another time, in mid-October, I was the director of
Baja On The Fly’s roosterfish tournament for fly fishing roosters and jack
crevalle. During our first evening’s Captains Meeting / dinner, the hotel got an
emergency fax on a weather update to close everything down and batten up. It
went from a clear and beautiful evening, to a torrential downpour. There was
about 12 inches of rain in 6 hours, with no previous warning. It was kind of
like a tornado situation, with hotels in Ixtapa losing tables and dishes on the
ocean fronted restaurants. We were wiped out as an inshore tournament, because
the heavily silt laden rivers, carrying a huge volume of water in a very short
time, dirtied up all the inshore waters for miles to the north and south. As a
side note…we also lost about 20% of all the trees here in Zihuatanejo and
Ixtapa during this intense storm, which had gusting winds of almost 90 mph. being
it was near the end of the rain season, the ground was already saturated. About
1 in every 5 trees was either knocked over and laying in the street, or had
huge limbs torn off. I was really impressed by how the local city government
had the whole thing cleaned up and hauled off in two days’ time.
Plus, I remember a day in February just a couple of
years back. We got 12 inches of rain in an 18 hour period. I had never seen
rain in February, yet alone so intense.
When
is the “rain season”? As shown above, there are always exceptions
to the rule, but our “normal” rainfall year sees about 50 inches of rain
between June and the middle of October. This can be summarized as about 10
inches in June, and another 10 inches of rain in each of the months of July and
August. September, and a little into October, is where we get about 20 inches
of rain, and often will get three to four port closures due to the rains coming
during daylight hours. These intense rains are often the tail of a named storm
swinging over us, with the eye of the storm being a hundred miles or so
offshore.
Our first light rain starts about the last week of May,
with most of the heavy stuff, with lightning and thunder being up in the 3,000
to 7,000 foot Sierra Madres just back behind us. And, all of this usually
happens late at night (remember this statement). After about June 10 we can
expect our rain season to kick off in earnest. The thunderstorms usually give
us between a half an inch to 2 inches, and spread out over 2 to 3 hours. The
rain generally comes at night, and maybe in back to back increments of 2 to 3
nights in one week. Then we get nothing for another week or so.
But, what we do get is a countryside with a thousand
shades of green. After the end of a normal rain season, we may not get another
drop until early June. In the dry months, the surrounding hills and countryside
turn an ugly brown and dust has settled on everything. By no later than June
20, after a few good rains, the hillsides become vibrant and alive, and explode
into all shades of greens and various colored flowers.
 |
| During the rain season we get some incredible sunrises as last night's rain clouds dissipate once the sun touches them. |
Heavy
rainfall and fishing: When we get rainfall of 6 inches in 4
hours, or similar large quantities in short durations, the numerous rivers and
streams on this coast handle it well, but they are heavily laden with silt and
debris. This does several things, and happens about once a month, but keep in mind
once the normal conditions have returned, it will be business as usual.
1) The heavy influx of cold fresh water will move the
blue water, which had been on the beach a day earlier, sometimes clear out to
the 20 mile mark. This makes for tough blue water fishing with a fleet which is
geared up for fishing a normal day in the 12 to 18 mile areas.
2) For the inshore fisherman, especially for the hard
fighting roosterfish, he is going to be out of luck for a few days and until
the clarity and salinity comes back. Plus, the most productive area to catch
roosters is along the shoreline, on the back side of the waves. The fresh water
sits on top the salt water, and gets mixed up by the pounding surf, lowering
the salinity. Roosters are not like snook, which do well in brackish water, so
the roosters go out to the deeper water and wait it out. A few days later they
will be back on the beaches.
3) The rivers are also heavily laden with debris from
trees, aquatic plants and other vegetation. This makes for a nasty mess when
the weed infested offshore areas are broad, fouling the trolling lines. But, once
the currents take over, and the weed lines form up, the dorado are attracted in
huge numbers.
Why
do we not get hurricanes? One factor a lot of people are justifiably
apprehensive about is the possibility of being caught in a hurricane. Several
times a year we have hurricanes form right off our coast and out about 200 miles.
You can watch them on the satellite maps with one hurricane northwest of us,
another a couple of hundred miles to the southeast, and us sandwiched in the
middle.
But, when you talk to the locals, they just shine them
on. This is because in their lifetimes, we have never been hit by a hurricane.
However, the year before I moved here to Zihuatanejo, Acapulco got hit head on
by a hurricane, causing a lot of property damage and deaths. Why we have never
been hit, when for 16 years I have observed at least 5 or 6 hurricanes a year forming
out in front or just to the south has always bewildered me. The engineer in me
tells me it is only a matter of time before it does happen. Then one day I had
the fortunate luck to fish with a meteorologist from the NOAA (National Ocean
and Atmospheric Administration).
While discussing this perplexing problem with him, he
told me that (once again) the high Sierra Madres are our friends. He stated the
high pressure in an area needs to break down before a storm can move into the area.
As the high pressure over our small coastal plain breaks down, like the water
it moves in front of it creating tide surges, the hurricane also moves a huge
mass of air. With the hurricane on one end, Zihuatanejo in the middle, and the
Sierra Madres at the other end, the air is compressed against the sierras. This
creates an artificial high pressure zone, and the storm bounces back out to
sea. It will usually repeat this scenario a few times before finding a groove
and heading out west to die in cooler water or slamming into Cabo San Lucas or
other points north.
But, while the storm and the Sierra Madres fight over
property rights, the tail can stall over us, like it did in early September years
ago, and Zihuatanejo can get a lot of rain. So the storm does get a bit of satisfaction
while the sierras just remain majestically silent.
Storm Preparation For
those of you who own property here, and even those of you who are guests,
please remember these points. Most significant is when the electricity goes out
over a widespread area, all services are also gone. And, even though I have yet
to see it, a major storm with wind, can knock out the electricity in a broad
area for a week or more.
Just imagine the things you will not have without
electricity. Banks will be closed because the computer system will be down, and
you will have no ability to get cash. Gas for your vehicle will only be what is
in your tank, because the pumps will not function at the gas station (unless
they have a generator like they have at the gas station near Buena Vista on the
road to Troncones). The larger supermarkets will be closed because their checkout
scanners and cash boxes will not function, leaving you to buy necessities from
the low inventory small mom and pop stores, which the locals will deplete
rapidly.
In your home you will have only the water in the tinaco
(tank) on the roof. You pressure pump or the ability to get water out of the
cistern will not be available, other than a bucket. Plus, the street water
service will no longer exist; because the municipality’s well pumps have no
electricity. When your existing supply is gone, you will have no water. Even
bottled drinking water will no longer deliver, because they need electricity to
run the pumps and the osmosis process.
Your refrigerator will be useless, and
unless you cook up the food, it will have to be thrown away, and even then,
cooked food will not last long. And, can you imagine how miserable it would be
without even a fan when the humidity is 90%. About the only thing you have
which will function normally is your stove. We use propane gas here, and as
long as the bottle or tank it is near full, it will last weeks. And, you can at least boil your water for drinking.
Fortunately with today’s computer and satellite
service, we have plenty of warning when a major storm is developing and starts
to move. Here are three excellent web pages I utilize daily during the rainy
season: The first is the NOAA hurricane center
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?epac
The NOAA page gives excellent data for named, or developing potentially named storms, Their paths, intensity, and locations.
The second is the Weather Channel for Mexico http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/northamerica/mexicosatellite_large.html
This web page gives a decent view of what is actually going on the overall picture, and what you can possibly expect for the next 48 hours. The data is usually just a few hours old. The view is for all of Mexico.
The final web page is Weather Underground. http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/76758.html
The data on this satellite photo is usually no more than 3 minutes old. And, by clicking on the photo, it will scale down to a small map showing just our area, and about 50 miles to the north and south. When looking at the forecast on this web page, it will almost always indicate 20% to 40% chance of rain or thundershowers. The forecast is correct, but you would be incorrect assuming this is for Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Also included in our "area" are the Sierra Madres, where the rain will fall first. If it does make it down to the coastal plain, it will probably be at night anyway, so don't cancel a vacation because you think it will be raining the whole time.
When I see a potential threatening storm, the first thing I do is I go to the bank and make a substantial withdrawal. Cash will be needed and plastic will not work. Then I top off my Suburban with gas and fill a couple of 40 liter containers for extra fuel for my small generator I have at home. The small light plant will power a couple of the new style fluorescent light bulbs, the fridge, and a fan.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?epac
The NOAA page gives excellent data for named, or developing potentially named storms, Their paths, intensity, and locations.
The second is the Weather Channel for Mexico http://www.weather.com/maps/geography/northamerica/mexicosatellite_large.html
This web page gives a decent view of what is actually going on the overall picture, and what you can possibly expect for the next 48 hours. The data is usually just a few hours old. The view is for all of Mexico.
The final web page is Weather Underground. http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/76758.html
The data on this satellite photo is usually no more than 3 minutes old. And, by clicking on the photo, it will scale down to a small map showing just our area, and about 50 miles to the north and south. When looking at the forecast on this web page, it will almost always indicate 20% to 40% chance of rain or thundershowers. The forecast is correct, but you would be incorrect assuming this is for Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo. Also included in our "area" are the Sierra Madres, where the rain will fall first. If it does make it down to the coastal plain, it will probably be at night anyway, so don't cancel a vacation because you think it will be raining the whole time.
When I see a potential threatening storm, the first thing I do is I go to the bank and make a substantial withdrawal. Cash will be needed and plastic will not work. Then I top off my Suburban with gas and fill a couple of 40 liter containers for extra fuel for my small generator I have at home. The small light plant will power a couple of the new style fluorescent light bulbs, the fridge, and a fan.
I always have 3 jugs (garafons) of drinking water, but
water is not a problem for me, as I have an open well. I can get all the water I
need as long as my arms hold up from lifting the bucket.
I also check to be sure my pantry is well stocked with canned
goods, rice, beans, and other long lasting foods.
The locals think I am crazy, but I do not want to stop this routine, because the one time I do…is when we will get slammed.
The locals think I am crazy, but I do not want to stop this routine, because the one time I do…is when we will get slammed.
Oh, and my 3 foot long plastic rain gage of several years back… has been replaced with a straight sided 5 gallon bucket I set on an unobstructed high point. It works well….So far.
Ed Kunze
