SUMMER IN THE CITY

Manzanillo
during rainy season...
What is it like?
Click
on photos to enlarge
Manzanillo is located 165 miles south of Puerto
Vallarta in the central western part of Mexico. It is in the state of Colima,
which is bordered by the state of Jalisco on the west, east and north; and by
Michoacan on the southeast.
The Pacific Ocean lies to the southwest, with balmy
sea breezes almost all day long. In the early evenings, refreshing breezes flow
from the mountains to the sea, once again cooling off the day. Manzanillo is on
the same latitude as Hawaii, but our attitude and prices are much more tourist
friendly!
Colima's 87 miles of coastline is a tourist mecca
with a yearly average of 350 days of sunshine! So why does everyone think it
rains all day, every day, in the summer? Summer is a time of growth and fresh
air, of renewal and cleansing.
Manzanillo's unlimited and unpopulated beaches
attract a large number of Mexican tourists, because they know the wonders that
await them, but why doesn't anyone from the U.S. or Canada come to visit us
during the summer?
MYTH #1:
IT'S HURRICANE SEASON!
The last big hurricane hit Manzanillo in 1959!
Almost all hurricanes of the Pacific go past Manzanillo and end up near Pto.
Vallarta and Mazatlan, or journey up the coast to Baja California. The reason
Manzanillo's name always appears in the news when a hurricane bulletin or
warning is issued, is because we have the weather tracking station which
sends out all the reports for the Pacific Coast. Manzanillo is the origination point for
ALL weather bulletins, so the advisory might read: "Hurricane Gilda is 350 miles northwest of
Manzanillo," when in reality, it is closest to Mazatlan! Manzanillo gets
the bad rap, and Mazatlan gets the tourists, who thought they were avoiding bad
weather by going there!
In looking at the statistics for
2000-03, only one
storm affected Manzanillo with high waves, but no rain, in September. The
Pacific had a very inactive and boring hurricane season last year, with only 7 tropical storms (named), and 5 tropical depressions in a 6 month period.
Predictions for the year 2004 remain along these same lines. Your chances of
encountering a tropical storm or hurricane when visiting Manzanillo are almost
zero.
Since Manzanillo has an accurate satellite
tracking and warning sy stem, you can feel totally safe in visiting us during
"hurricane season." Last year, our government issued 398 permanent
monitoring bulletins, and 157 bulletins of preventive alert.
In contrast to the low activity of the Pacific,
the hurricane activity in the Atlantic and the Caribbean was above average.
MYTH #2:
IN RAINY SEASON, IT RAINS ALL DAY,
EVERY DAY
Some folks think we never see the sun during
"rainy season," mid-June to mid-October. Usually it rains every three
or four days, with the humidity finally building up enough to create a soft rain
shower in the late afternoon or evening, cooling everything off and washing the
dust off the tropical foliage.
After more than 6 months without rain, the forest
seems to come alive overnight. Most tourists are unaware of the advantages of
visiting Manzanillo in the summer, and miss the spectacular tropical rain
forests, the deserted beaches and lower prices, but for those who live here
year-round, it's a favorite time to enjoy Manzanillo to the fullest.
Because we share the same latitude as Hawaii, the
state of Colima has some of the best weather in Mexico. From November through
April the daily temperatures range from 75-82 degrees F, while nights cool off
to a comfortable 65-75 degrees.
In May, the climate starts to change--becoming
more humid, and building up to the beginning of rainy season in June. All of us who live
here welcome it!
After the first warm rain, which is celebrated among the locals, the hills turn from
a drab brown to the vibrant green of summer. The streams and dry creek
beds begin to fill, and the
rivers begin to flow once again. Colima just got a new face!
To
see these changes--the brilliant colors of the flowers, the harvesting of
Manzanillo's many fruits and vegetables, the fresh, clean smell of the air, and
the washing away of six months of dirt and dust--that's our splendiferous
summer!
Yes it's more humid, but the moisture in the
air makes your skin feel wonderful! Yes, it's a few degrees hotter, but that's
why we have an 85 degree ocean, swimming pools and siestas during the hottest
part of the day!
Plan a trip up to the volcanoes, or visit the
Grotto of San
Gabriel, and cool off at the higher altitudes, or snorkel a coral reef for a few
hours. There are rivers, lakes, creeks and waterfalls in Colima. Manzanillo is a cool place to go in the
summer!
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