The climate of Aguascalientes can be considered semi-dry. Its temperature during the year averages 174 ° C. A semi-dry climate implies that evaporation is above precipitation.
Regarding rainfall, the rainfall during the year is approximately 526 mm. The rains that contribute to this figure usually arrive in summer.
In June it can rain between 110 and 120 mm; an abundant amount of rainfall compared to the average for the rest of the year.
During the other seasons of the year it can rain, but not very intensely. A climate like this implies a flora of the desert scrub type, with an eminently xerophilous vegetation.
It also means that agricultural activity requires a robust irrigation infrastructure.
Main features
The warmest month is usually May, when the temperature ranges between 22 and 23 ° C. While the coldest month is January, when the temperature can drop to 13 or 14 ° C.
In the semi-dry climate, eventual frosts occur in very specific places, which do not last much more than 5 days a year.
For example: in March 2016 a snowfall was reported in the upper parts of Aguascalientes, specifically in San José de Gracia, part of Calvillo, Asientos and Tepezalá. It was the third in 20 years.
Hail can also fall between July and August in some areas, but there is no definite pattern for this phenomenon.
Other climates of Aguascalientes
Although in Aguascalientes the semi-dry climate predominates, there are also places in its territory that have a temperate subhumid and semi-warm climate.
For example, in the Sierra Fría, temperatures are low almost all year round, ranging between 12 and 16 ° C.
There the precipitation is usually higher than in the rest of Aguascalientes: 700 mm on average.
Climate and tourism
The ideal climatic conditions for a tourist who wants to know the best of Aguascalientes occur between April and September, when the temperature does not exceed 30 ° C.
Although if it is about visiting it in its coldest time, the state of Aguascalientes can have a temperature of 4 ° C in the month of January.
The El Niño phenomenon
The El Niño phenomenon also affects the climate in Mexico. It usually causes more precipitation in winter and drought in summer.
It also leaves less moisture in the soil, which translates into forest loss from forest fires.
In 1997, summer brought one of the biggest droughts that Mexico has experienced: 50% less rainfall. This affected the spring-summer agricultural cycle, crucial for national agricultural production.
However, El Niño is not the only climate modulator in Mexico. The loss of clouds over the territory of the Aztec country allows the entry of more radiation.
This increases temperatures, decreases humidity over the highlands, and cools the center of the country, where Aguascalientes is located.
References
- Global change. How the El Niño phenomenon occurs in Mexico. Recovered from: Cambioglobal.org
- Climatedata (S / F). Aguascalientes climate. Recovered from: climate-data.org
- The Herald (2016). Alerted by heavy rains in September. Recovered from: heraldo.mx
- National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). Aguascalientes. Recovered from: inegi.org.mx
- Starmedia (2017). Snow falls in Aguascalientes, it is the third time in 20 years. Recovered from: starmedia.com
- Wikipedia (s / f). Aguascalientes. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
- World-climates (s / f). Aguascalientes climate Recovered from: world-climates.com