Cuenca is known for having a mild climate, especially given its location at about 8,200 feet (2500 m) above sea level. The average daily temperature is about 58° F (~14° C) and the average monthly rainfall is 2.3 inches (58 mm). The ‘rainy season’ is said to be between January and May, with the heaviest rains from March through May. But for those of us who lived in or traveled through Cuenca recently, it seems the ‘rainy season’ lasts nearly all year.
So why hasn’t Cuenca lived up to its ‘moderate climate’ reputation recently? If you ask the locals about it, they will say the weather has been unusual lately, but aren’t really sure why. Is it the effects of climate change? Some say yes, but others point to La Niña.
La Niña which means ‘little girl’ has the opposite effect of El Niño (‘little boy’). El Niño is a relatively well-known western Pacific weather pattern caused by an increase in the sea temperature, which creates higher air pressure. El Niño is often associated with heavy storms and catastrophic weather for the regions affected (mainly North America, South America, Australia, India, and Indonesia). However, El Niño could be seen as a ‘good thing’ for beach and sun lovers in Ecuador and Peru: El Niño usually causes unseasonably warm and dry weather from April to October on the Ecuadorian and Peruvian coasts.
La Niña, the lesser known pattern, is often called the ‘anti-El Niño’. As the nickname suggests, La Niña indicates a cooling effect in the sea waters, leading to lower air pressure. This, in turn, causes weather effects in Peru and Ecuador such as more rainfall and heavier rainfall. In fact, in 2008, La Niña was blamed for devastating flooding and the heaviest rains Ecuador had seen in more than 25 years.
So how does all of this effect Cuenca, which is an 8 hour drive and over 8,000 feet above the Pacific coast? A climate forum held in January of 2011 stated that La Niña was indeed occurring, and listed the following predictions for each region of Ecuador:
•”Region Litoral” (Coastal): unstable weather conditions, presence of rain and showers of varying intensity, with greater intensity to the north and interior.
•”Region Interandina” (Andes): scattered showers of varying intensity in the region, especially in the Andes highlands.
•”Region Oriental” (Eastern/Jungle): variation of moderate to severe rainfall, with greater presence on the slopes of the mountains.
•”Region Insular” (Galápagos): moderate winds and occasional showers, especially on San Cristobal Island.
Whether the increase in rain lately is due to an overall changing climate (read: global warming) or a temporary weather pattern such as La Niña, only time will tell. Whatever the cause, the rain showers in Cuenca rarely last all day; you can usually count on at least having a bright and sunny morning. So whatever time of year to choose to visit Cuenca, make sure you take advantage of those beautiful Cuenca mornings-and take an umbrella for those unpredictable afternoons!
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