Global Warming? Not in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Those of us that have lived in Puerto Vallarta for many years agree, the fall and early winter of 2010 was the coldest we’ve witnessed. Everybody seems to be talking about the unusually cool evenings and mornings; so cold that many of the local women are wearing sweaters and some of the guys are even wearing long pants!

We were curious as to just how cold it’s been so we decided to do a three month weather review of Vallarta. According to the Wunderground website, there has been no measurable amount of rainfall since the first of October. We also noticed that the average daily temperature for October through December of 2010 was only 73.5*F. It’s no wonder that everyone is talking about the cold winter weather; after all, the historical average for that 92 day period of time is 77.3*F, i.e. 3.8*F higher! In order to fully appreciate just how much colder than normal it’s been, please see the 92 day graph below:

These consistently below average temperatures in PV haven’t seemed to have had much affect on the beach front tourists, however; they are back in full force this year. Even though the average daily high temperature for the first three months of our “winter” season was only about 82*F, with clear blue skies, the weather conditions seem to be acceptable for most of the “snowbirds”. The Banderas Bay water temperatures are also somewhat lower than normal but not enough to prohibit anyone from enjoying the numerous water related activities. Also, it should be mentioned that the whales must be enjoying this weather; we’ve never seen so many performing their acrobatics in the 25 mile diameter bay as we’ve seen this year.

For those of us that have retired in PV, the chilly evenings are especially obvious; we’ve had to go to such extreme as to put a blanket on the bed. With evening temperatures plummeting to the low 60’s and no heating of any kind in the villas or condos, those long lost blankets come in real handy; of course, these temperatures are great for sleeping!

Evidently the visitors to the area find the cool evening temperatures conducive to partying because there have been a lot more fiestas this year than we’ve seen for a few years. Who knows, maybe it’s just an improvement in the US economy or perhaps for the Canadians, they’re merely celebrating the fact that the strength of their Loonie has recently exceeded that of the US dollar. It might just be our imagination, but they sure seem to be having more fun sipping their margaritas and cervezas this season while watching the sunset on the beach in the cool 75*F air than they did in other years when it was 80*F.

A recent article titled “30 Years of Global Cooling Are Coming, Leading Scientist Says” claims that there are good reasons for the cool temperatures that we’re encountering; it’s just a part of a 30 year long cold blip. Hmm! The following is an excerpt from their article:

Latif, a professor at the Leibniz Institute at Germany's Kiel University and an author of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, believes the lengthy cold weather is merely a pause -- a 30-years-long blip -- in the larger cycle of global warming, which postulates that temperatures will rise rapidly over the coming years.

The U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSICD) agrees that the cold temperatures are unusual, and that the world's oceans may play a part in temperatures on land. "Has ocean variability contributed to variations in surface temperature? Absolutely, no one's denying that," said Mark Serreze, senior research scientist with NSIDC. But the Center disagrees with Latif's conclusions, instead arguing that the cold snap is still another sign of global warming. "We are indeed starting to see the effects of the rise in greenhouse gases," he said. 

Many parts of the world have been suffering through record-setting snowfalls and arctic temperatures. The Midwest saw wind chills as low as 49 degrees below zero last week, while Europe saw snows so heavy that Eurostar train service and air travel were canceled across much of the continent. In Asia, Beijing was hit by its heaviest snowfall in 60 years.

Global warming; obviously, these experts don’t have a clue either! One thing is for certain, there are approximately 50,000 Americans and Canadians down here in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico enjoying another winter of fun in the sun, but this year, they’re on the verge of freezing their coconuts off and loving every minute of it!