So what is the rainy season really like in Zihuatanejo? The damp, summer season is when we traditionally get the least influx of either general vacationing tourism or seasonal long-term visitors to Zihuatanejo and surrounding areas. A lot of people wonder just what it’s like during this time of year…
The lack of tourist activity during the summer is probably due a lot to the fact that weather “up north” is just fine; no one is particularly trying to escape a cold, dreary winter at this time of year, unless they come from deep in the southern hemisphere, and coming here is a long way to travel for them. There is some summer European tourism, and more and more we’re getting surfers from all over the world at all times of the year, but in general, tourists from the U.S. and Canada are taking advantage of joys of their own summer and early fall conditions.
However, summer and the rainy season in Zihuatanejo is one of the most beautiful times here…
To begin with, everything is green, green, green. The hills are thick and lush with every kind of foliage, including a lot of tangled, climbing vines and undergrowth. Not much is flowering at this time of year, but the depth and different ranges of green are enough to make your head spin, but in a relaxing way!
Yes, it’s wet and humid, and sometimes quite hot, during this season, although this year, in my opinion, it’s felt quite amazingly cool in the evenings, almost the whole year through. Perhaps I’m just inured to the climate. This is the time we are likely to get some great afternoon breezes with clouds scudding across the horizon, and great rolls of thunder and often tremendous displays of lightning. People don’t necessarily avoid the rain here, either. Unless you’re all dressed up to go to some fancy party or dinner, there’s no reason to shun walking in the rain here. You’re not going to get a chill or end up with pneumonia because of the temperature of the raindrops, and it can be wonderfully refreshing.
This past couple of weeks we’ve been getting lots of drizzle, mainly at night. During the day the rain does fall, sometimes in thick sheets for short periods of time, but very seldom do we have all-day, no-break-in-the-clouds weather. The sun shines through at some point and even if it doesn’t manage to totally break through, beware, because that ol’ sun can burn you just as easily, or more so, when you can’t see it as when you can.
Here are a couple of photos taken only a day or two ago, that will give you an idea of what we see when we walk the beach or wander around our community this time of year. It’ll also give those of you who know our bay an idea of what’s been going on construction-wise along La Ropa and over the hillside toward Las Gatas… you can see that how many homes and condos have sprouted up in only the past few months. It’s quite amazing how quickly this place is suddenly growing.
La Ropa beach looking south toward Las Gatas
La Ropa Beach looking north toward town
