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The Changing Seasons in Baja - Rains bring the green of the desert
The
rains of Hurricane Jimena will bring the green back to the
deserts of Baja Sur. Within days, the thirsty flora of our desert
peninsula has began to take on shades of green. Soon the entire desert
will be in bloom and a jaunt to the vast open areas of Baja Sur will
be well worth a photo-safari.
This is late in the season for Baja to receive its first significant rain of the year. Without another significant rainfall 2009 will be considered a drought year. Nation-wide this has been the driest year in Mexican recorded weather history.
But the rain we did receive will cause the cactus to swell with the intake of fresh water and soon the beautiful blooms of the San Miguel will add yellows and reds to the desert pallet.
Most
of Baja Sur received between 3 and 5 inches of rain from the passage
of Jimena. Some places in the central Baja reported as much as 27"
of precipitation during the storm, but that was not the norm. Here
in La Paz there has been less than 1.5" of rain since Hurricane
Norman last October. That is great for those folks tha love blue
skies, but it doesn't bode well for the water table as our dry
season begins in mid October. Baja normal yearly rainfall is a
little more than 7" which usually comes in August and September.
Even the monsoonal afternoon thunderstorms have been a rarity this
year.
If you are visiting Baja Sur during the next month or so we highly recommend you rent a car and take a tour of the Baja Sur Loop. In a quick day trip or a leisurely two day tour you can see the various wonders the tip of the peninsula has to offer. From Todos Santos on the Pacific to La Paz, El Triunfo, San Bartolo and Los Barriles, you can enjoy the beautiful and diverse rural environment this unique region has to offer.
The
diving, fishing , kayaking and boating are the best at this time of
year due to the predominantly calm seas and clear, warm water. This
weather continues until about Thanksgiving or thereabouts when the
“Northers” begin to blow on a more daily basis. Up until then we
have almost spring like conditions with long grasses and flowers in
full bloom. This will only last for a few more weeks as the winds
begin to dry out the vegetation that has grown so intensely since
the two hurricanes and latest rainstorms.
The
Sierra de la Laguna usually receive rainfall almost daily,
but not in 2007. You could see the black clouds blanketing the
mountains as you drive from Todos Santos to Cabo and expect to have
a few vados to cross or even delay your arrival a few hours. But
that hasn't happened this season, yet. And it may not happen for
man-made reasons as well. The improvements to Highway 1 from the
border to Los Cabos and to Hwy 19 along the Pacific coast have made
storm road closures much less likely. The rivers between Carrizal
and
Todos Santos and the rivers at Elias Calles and Magrino are
barely flowing with runoff from the Sierras just two weeks after
Jimena. Yet there are some places the surface water flows year
round, like Aguas Calientes, San Bartolo and San Pedro Frijolar.
These
summer storms are also what feeds the giant aquifers under areas
like Pescadero, La Ribera and Santiago where there is water flowing
underground year round. The reservoir outside of Cabo San Lucas is
reported to be near capacity while the major La Paz supply is rated
at only 40%. Water is always a precious commodity in our desert
environment and we encourage all visitors and residents of Baja to
use water wisely.
I
n
the more Northern part of Baja Sur around Guerro Negro the desert
plains will sprout grasses and meadow like flowers in bloom. The
Volcanoes “Tres Virgines” are already light green and covered with
swollen cactus. There are Century plants and
Boojums will soon be in full bloom throughout the Vizcaino
Desert around Catavina.
If you have never seen the Baja during this time you are really missing out on something. This last drive I did had to be the most beautiful out of 15 years of driving the Baja!
The heat will break, usually no later than the middle of October and planning a trip through the green deserts of Baja is a great idea for both tourists and those of us that live here - particularly if green is your favorite color!