Central American Snippets: The Weather

As previously promised, a few more snippets from "daily life" in Central America.

The Weather

Right now, it's the rainy season. It has been for more months than I can remember. Although what exactly that means varies from location to location, depending on various factors like proximity to the ocean, latitude and altitude (among others I'm sure, I'm no weatherologist), I can give you a general approximation of what that means.


(that's two kids, playing in the rain coming off the roof)

It means that it rains. A lot. And it means that you sweat. A lot. During the days, I never stop sweating. Thanks partially to the hairshirt I wear, and partially because the relative humidity is never less than a million units of humidity. And all that humidity builds up and up until the sky releases. Sometimes it rains all day, but those days are very rare. If it does rain during the day, it's usually a quick downpour. Most of the time it rains in the late afternoon and/or overnight, which is great because it cools down, but doesn't stop you from enjoying the days. This was the case all through southern Guatemala and El Salvador, and for the most part, here in Nicaragua. Although sometimes, the rain just blows in with very little warning. And HOW it blows in! Full force! Within minutes there will be rivers or ruts in the roads, and the dry will be a distant memory. The duration varies, but is usually about 20 minutes to an hour, and then it passes by.


(sometimes is rains)


(and sometimes, you're not ready for it)

My full moons on this trip have been fairly spectacular events. This one was no exception, and I'll mention it here because it was highlighted by the weather. I spent this full moon playing guitar in my cabana on a deserted beach in northern Nicaragua, in the middle of the biggest thunder and lightning storm I've ever witnessed. It was a prototypical day on the beach: beautiful clear skies all day, a spectacular sunset over the ocean, and a WILD thunderstorm at night. The lightning and thunder were observable almost at the same time, with the flash and the crash lighting up the sky and shaking the ground all around us. This is something I won't forget for a while.