Weather in Cuenca

If you wonder where I've been, I've been writing--just not blogging!

I'm revising the book, 101 Questions Answered on Cuenca. I've uncovered so much material that it really can't be considered a revised edition any longer, but rather a second edition. And my commitment is to keep it updated every month because I never want to go through this much work ever again.

Also, since it's been raining all day in Cuenca, it's perfect writing weather (for me anyway). I gain a lot of inspiration when it's pouring outside because I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. When the sun is brilliant with blue skies and fluffy white clouds, who wants to stay indoors and write?

Not me!

Anyway, next week we're taking off for Salinas (we've never been there before) and it's supposed to be beautiful and sunny all week, while it rains its little heart out in Cuenca.

That leads me to the question of weather in Cuenca, which is one of my favorite subjects. Cuenca is very forgiving in that regard. You forget about the rainy weather when the sun is shining; it's like Cuenca casts this spell of amnesia over us.

Rain?

What rain?

Ha!

Before I get into specifics about the weather, I'm going to share with you the truth. I don't know anywhere else you can live in the world with an average temperature of 68.5 degrees for a high and an average of 48.6 as a low. You can tell I'm working on the weather question in the book, can't you?

All these years when everyone has been saying Cuenca's highs are in the 70's and lows in the 50's; they really mean to say that the average yearly high is 68.5 degrees and the average low is 48.6 degrees with an average yearly rainfall of 34.57 inches. The city that compares to that perfectly is Camanche, Iowa (34.57 inches of rainfall). The average number of rainy days in Cuenca is 179.

Why am I going into such detail?

Well, mainly because there seems to be so much controversy about the weather. Highs in the 70's and lows in the 50's have been thrown around for so long, I think we've come to believe it.

Today I'm setting the record straight: it's an average high of 68.5 degrees and 48.6 degrees for an average low. From now on, I will refer to the weather in Cuenca as high 60's and high 40's. That has a slightly different ring to it -- doesn't it?

This is what Cuenca's weather looks like this week: You can check it out for yourself at www.wunderground.com. For rain it's 90-100% likely through Tuesday, March 24th and only 60% chance of rain through Sunday, the 29th (Palm Sunday). That's why we're leaving town (sunny days in Salinas all next week).

I was going to write out the entire year of highs, lows, sunshine and rain, but I thought it might be better if you took a look. Click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page. I realize that nothing is 100 percent accurate, but I've been recording daytime highs and lows in my calendar for the past five years and I've gotta say it's pretty spot on.

So what's the big deal? It's only a couple of degrees here and there. Well, it is a big deal to me. I've been throwing out average temps of 70's and low 50's since we moved here because that's what I've been reading since we checked out Cuenca in 2009.

I realize that we live in the subtropical highlands near the equator, so our temperatures would be downright hot and humid if it weren't for the elevation of Cuenca (approx. 8,300 feet and 8,200 feet in some areas), but I intend to be more accurate in my weather reporting. In fact, I just might blog about the weather forecast every day (how boring would that be?). Then again, I would have a year of accurately reported weather from a boots on the ground source.

Today weather looks like this from Wunderground.com; the most accurate place I've found for the weather in Cuenca.

Until next time...your Cuenca weather correspondent is taking a break!

Light Rain

13.7 °C

Feels Like 13.7 °C

N

3.2

Wind from SE 
Gusts 0.0 km/h

Today is forecast to be MUCH COOLER than yesterday.

Today

High 13 | Low 10 °C

60% Chance of Precip.

Yesterday

High 12.9 | Low 12.9 °C

Precip. 189 mm

Leap Year and Hail!

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Today was the perfect "four seasons in one day" in Cuenca, complete with bean-sized hail. After two days of rain, the warm sunshine, blue skies and white fluffy clouds were a welcome relief. We had brunch with friends at the Coffee Tree and then did some shopping before Mark had to teach his afternoon English class.

As we walked to Supermaxi in the Vergel Shopping Center, I watched as the ominous dark clouds started to form. When the weather heats up quickly in the early afternoon and the clouds form into a dark blue mass on the horizon, you know there's going to be some "fireworks."

We finished up our shopping--waiting for the chocolate croissants to get out of the bakery oven--and caught a taxi back home. As I stepped inside our apartment, the sky let loose. I made a mad dash for the balcony to retrieve Mocha just as the hail started to pelt the windows. The combination of lightening, thunder and hail made Mocha run for cover under the bed while I tried to sweep the hail out the door.

I have to say this is the largest size hail I've seen in Cuenca. I even saved a few chunks in the freezer to serve  as a reminder of just how quickly the weather can change in "paradise." Unfortunately, when we have a whopper of a storm like we had today, there's always a "little" flooding that comes along with it. Our master bedroom is  right off the balcony, so we always keep extra towels in the closet to keep the water on the right track. After the watery mess was cleaned up, Mocha came out of hiding and I let him lick up the rest of the hail drops!

An hour later when Mark returned from teaching, the entire episode was history and Leap Year in Cuenca jumped into the history books.

Until next time...hasta luego!

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Seattle in Cuenca?!?

I thought I was imagining the whole thing until I heard one of the ESL teachers (at CEDEI) comment, “This weather makes me feel right at home!” 

When I asked him where he was from, he said, “Seattle!”

September has been filled with a blanket of gray skies, but we’ve been too busy to notice what the weather’s  been like! We have such a rich and full life that I hardly know what we did with all our time before we went back to school and Mark started teaching. 

Blue Skies?

During the weekdays we’re in Spanish Class at CEDEI, Mark’s teaching English, and on the weekends we play—normally doing things with the students or teachers at CEDEI. It has brought us into an entirely new and exciting world. Most of the teachers at CEDEI are in their 20’s (having just finished college or working on their Masters ) and the other half are in their 50’s—many of whom travel the world teaching English. There’s no middle ground.  Those who are in their 30’s and 40’s are still back in the States putting in their 20 years of hard labor so they can PLAY when they grow up!

Home on the Range!

Since I’m slated to teach in January, I’m trying to catch up on my writing and get to the next level in Spanish so I don’t sound like an 6^th grader the rest of my life. Mark and I are not your typical expats, so please don’t follow our example! 

Students and Teachers at CEDEI  -- on the weekends!

I thought my writing was suffering (with all the activity) until I received two acceptance notices this week and one was from the Chicken Soup series. The book won’t be out until May 2012, but it’s the story of how we came to Cuenca  (the roller coaster ride).  Looking back on it, it was pretty “stormy” weather getting here, but now we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. I don’t envy any of you who are going through the packing, selling and getting here stage. But once you’re here, you’ll almost forget what you went through to get “south of zero”!

Roasting in the Country!

If you find yourself talking about the weather in Cuenca, then it’s time to travel, study or volunteer. Yes, it’s a lot like “Seattle in Cuenca,” and probably not the best place to live if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, but one thing is for sure—you will never have to worry about heat or humidity!

Until next time...hasta luego!

Let's Talk Weather in Cuenca, Ecuador!

The Tomebamba River

One of the most common questions I receive is about the weather. Folks planning on visiting Cuenca check Weather.com or Wunderground.com, and then shoot me an e-mail that goes something like this: “I checked the forecast and it will be raining the entire two weeks of our visit to Cuenca!” And that statement is usually followed by a question, “Is it like Seattle there?”

It's definitely not Seattle in Cuenca, but some may think so during the months of April and May!

We have been here an entire year and I’ve tracked the weather with my “radar” and I’ve written down the days that it has rained (the weeks and the months). It’s appropriate to say that there is a fair amount of rain in Cuenca. When the glossy print magazines describe Cuenca, they use words like “perpetual spring” which means there is an abundance of rain and blooming flowers; we have both here!

Our Spanish teacher explained the seasons this way: March, April and May are the months of rain with April bringing "aguas mil" (a thousand waters). June, July, August and part of September are the months of "heladas" (winter), which are characterized by cool mornings, giving way to sun, windy afternoons and cool evenings. The remaining months: October, November, December, January and February are "summer," characterized by more sun and less rain.

The great thing about Cuenca is it's so easy to be forgiving about the weather. Even with seven straight days of clouds and rain, all “trespasses” are forgiven when the sun comes out. Today was one of those days! It started out with clouds and rain. In the afternoon it began to clear and the sky was a brilliant blue with white fluffy clouds (70 degrees). On days like today, I think to myself, How can anyone complain about the weather in Cuenca?

Ice in Cuenca?

This morning when I walked Mocha, I slipped on a patch of ice! No kidding. For a moment I thought I was back on the streets of Philadelphia in the winter. It just so happened that a vendor threw his leftover ice on the sidewalk to “melt,” and I happened to trip on it! It was a great wake-up call. Whenever I’m tempted to complain about the rain, I think about how fortunate I am that I don’t have to shovel snow and ice anymore!

It’s safe to say that the weather is changing all around the world and Ecuador is no exception. Cuenca is in a unique position because of the altitude (8,300 feet); it’s where the weather forms. And that’s why it can actually rain while the sun is out or why we have hailstorms at a moment’s notice.

Coming from a California girl’s perspective, this is still paradise: no humidity, no extremes in temperature, no hot days with little relief in sight, and no snow to shovel! On the days that it’s cloudy and rainy, it reminds me of Northern California during the month of January. When the sun is shining and there are blue skies, it reminds me of Dana Point, California without the ocean breeze.

Personally, it's an ideal location: no need for a heater (yep, we made it all year without heating except for occasionally letting the oven door open to warm up the bricks) and no need for air conditioning. Weather wise, I don’t think there's any such thing as a perfect location, but this is just about as close as you can get!

Until next time...hasta luego!







Today's weather report: The morning started out cloudy with rain, giving way to clear and sunny skies at 10:30 a.m., continuing throughout the day (70 degrees).



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