WEATHER AND WATER IN EL SALVADOR

Morning shadows cast by distant volcanos

El Salvador has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons. Temperatures vary primarily with elevation and show little seasonal change. The Pacific lowlands are uniformly hot; the central plateau and mountain areas are more moderate.

The winter rainy season extends from May to October. Almost all the annual rainfall occurs during this time, and yearly totals, particularly on Southern-facing Mountain slopes, can be as high as 78 inches. Although hurricanes occasionally form in the Pacific or migrate over from the Atlantic, none have hit El Salvador as a hurricane. Keep in mind, however, that the area is not immune to tropical depressions, which can deposit large amounts of rain causing localized flooding and mudslides.

From November through April, the Central American summer, the northeast trade winds control weather patterns. During these months, air flowing from the Caribbean has had most of the precipitation wrung out of it passing over the mountains in Honduras. By the time this air reaches El Salvador, it is dry, hot, and hazy.

Called Cubascos in Mexico and Tormentas in Salvador

Temperatures vary little with season; elevation is the primary determinant. The Pacific lowlands are the hottest region, with annual averages ranging from 77°F to 85°F. Mountain areas are the coolest, with annual averages from 54°f to 74°F and minimum temperatures sometimes approaching freezing.

A real "gully washer"

The rally finishes at the beginning of the rainy season when almost every night, usually after sunset, it rains for about an hour or so giving you an opportunity to replenish your water tanks so if you do not have a water catching system now is the time to think about it.

Catching water on Mita Kuuluu

Clean water from local taps is available but it is not good to drink because it is slightly brackish so for drinking and cooking you have to catch or make it, or buy purified water. If you make water it is best to do it on the incoming tide because the ebb tide has a lot of sediment, which will quickly clog your primary filters.