Seasons

This is yet another post that we will preface with "where we live" in Honduras, because just like anywhere climate can change from place to place based on altitude/coast or inland/and MUCH more.  For example, many times we leave Pastor Fredy's house at the bottom of our hill and by the time we get home on the top (15min. later) it's much cooler. Although the change in altitude seems fairly minor (probably around 1000 feet or so), the altitude does seem to dramatically affect the temperature, around 10 degrees F.

Looking at the above map (a little bit low res), you can see that there is a little green dot in the western half. We live in that little dot. It is somewhat of a micro climate, receiving nearly triple the amount of rainfall (~3400mm or around 134 inches a year) that the surrounding areas typically record. So, needless to say, the climate certainly varies. It's a small country with extensive jungles, rain forest, pine/oak covered hills, tropical islands, sweltering coastal plains, cloud forest and even true desert in the southeast.

We have experienced pretty much 3 seasons here.  Each year the starting and stopping of each season varies a bit, just like it would for us back in PA or OH.

Feb - May "Summer" Also called the dry season.  It rains only about every 2 weeks or so and is very hot.  These are the hardest times because the rain does cool it off substantially not to mention that it is essential for life, especially since our village doesn't have a water system.  Everyone depends on rain water.  It's in the mid-high 90s every day and doesn't drop below 80 at night.

May - Nov. "Normal" This is the best time of year in our opinion.  It's warm/hot and sunny every day from sunrise until about 4pm or so.  Some time between 4pm and 4am a rain shower or thunderstorm sweeps in.  It can be very hot in the sun.  But our thermometer in the shade usually shows high 80s - low 90s at the hottest point of the day and mid 70s or low 80s at night with occasional dips into the 60s.

Nov. - Jan/Feb "Winter" Cool. High of 70-80 F during the day and the lowest we've seen is 50 at night.  But sometimes it can stay in the 50s all day.  Almost non-stop rain with the exception of a few days here and there where the sun will break through.  This is when the whole place turns into mud and unfortunately mudslides are common. 50 might not seem that cold, but factor in the constant rain/fog/cloud cover and the lack of insulation or windows that truly shut, things can get pretty chilly. Add a concrete floor for your delicate little feet and (really) cold water for your shower, then you're actually cold (and typically with a little stronger odor than usual until the sun comes out).