# chipi chipi in Veracruz



## travelinhobo (Sep 17, 2010)

Hi all - I was reading a few posts about Xalapa and they mentioned the "chipi chipi" weather. Just exactly how bad are you guys talking about this light drizzly rain? Like Seattle winter bad?? I lived in Olympia last winter and there was only 2 days of sun a week. The other days it was either cloudy and threatening to chipi chipi or it did chipi. Thanks.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

I would describe it as a heavy fog with visible droplets and a visibility of 100 ft. or less. In the city, itself, it may occurs less than 10 times during the winter. More so in higher elevations of the city such as the hill, Macuiltepetl, and perhaps along Av. Xalapa. Quite often on the road to Perote where the road rises sharply as it leaves Xalapa. Is it cloudy in the winter? Yes. The wind here moves up from the coast and hits the sierra here where cold winds blow from the west. Perfect weather for coffee and mildew.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

I like Xapala but will leave the explanation of the "chipi-chipi" weather patterns to joaquinx since he lives there and I have only visited on occasion. I never really considered moving to Xalapa except briefly back in 2005 when we were looking at a number of places in Mexico to which to move in order to provide variety to all-year living on Lake Chapala which is a fine place but some variety in environments seems desirable to us. When we first visited the Orizaba/Fortin de Las Flores/Cordoba, Veracruz urban zone sitting at the base of the steep escarpment ending on the High Puebla Plain to the west and the immense Gulf Coastal Plain on the east, we seriously considered moving to that area; one we had intially found quite attractive but we bought in San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands instead. In the last few years we have motored from Lake Chapala to the Chiapas Highlands and back at least six times a year in both winter and summer and have come to appreciate the fact that we did not seek a residence in the Orizaba-Cordoba zone because, while driving through that area numerous times, we discovered that, although it may be spectacularly beautiful with great clarity of air on the Puebla Plain and west of there, as we descended the escarpment from that plain to the Gulf Coastal Plain going east, we often ran into recurring cold, damp and dangerous fogs and "chipi-chipi" during the winter season and often torrential rains during the summer rainy season which at times continued along the entire coastal plain corridor through Veracruz State until we once again ascended the mountains into Chiapas after Minatitlan, Veracruz. We thought we had outsmarted these coastal "nortes" by moving to a town at 7,000 feet in the Sierra Norte de Chiapas but that was a foolish presumption and, while the winter can bring spectacular, crystal clear days in San Cristóbal and its surrounding environment, those Gulf breezes visit us often down there as well and bring sometimes lingering overcast and cold temperatures so I guess we misjudged our ability to discern climatic phenomena. 

One nice thing is that both Xapala and San Cristóbal make up for any, sometimes unpleasant variations in climate by being fun, sophisticated and charming places to live. We can always escape to the almost constant sunshine and mild temperatures of Lake Chapala when needed but there is more to life than simply nice weather almost all the time or Boston would be deserted.


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## travelinhobo (Sep 17, 2010)

If someone out there has lived in the NW Pacific and can give me a comparison, I'd appreciate it.


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## Azuledos (Jan 21, 2010)

OK, you asked for it. This is our third winter in our home located in Fortín de las Flores, where we moved from NW Washington State. We did some climate research before seriously considering this area for a possible home, although we have loved western Veracruz from past trips thru the area. This region is on the edge of a small “cloud forest” bioregion, different from any other location in Mexico. Moisture from the gulf to the east rises up the slopes of the eastern cordillera, and pretty much like the effect of the Pacific maritimes on the Cascades or Olympics, dumps precipitation on this area pretty often. However, this is not nearly as onerous as in the Pacific NW with its day-long precip, as the rains arrive mostly in the late afternoon, with dry and frequently sunny mornings. There have been less than a handful of days since we've been here with day-long rains. And of course the rains are mostly warmer here. Nighttime temps never drop lower than the mid-40's, and most winter days get up in the high 60's or low 70's, although is does get up in the low 80's once and awhile. Houses here are not insulated, although the block and brick construction holds the heat well, and even when it's the coldest, it just means putting on another layer of clothes. There's just enough seasonality to be interesting, in the interplay between wet & dry season, and winter & summer.

Speaking of summer, temps rarely go above the low 80's. So, in general, in terms of min and max, compared to the Washington State coast, winter lows are 15 to 20 degrees warmer & highs really pleasant, and in the summer about a match for what we experienced back in the US. Great growing climate with adequate water and heat for anything you'd like. We're having great fun with growing tropical flowers and a few tropical fruits. The property here is small enough (on purpose, since we weren't planning on lots of yard care) that we're not growing anything we can easily find in the full & overflowing markets. And, I'd hate to live in a place without the chance of seeing clouds and hearing the rain – guess we must have grown webs between our toes in the 30+ years in the Pacific NW. This a perfect spot for a rainy-side Washingtonian to end up. Green hills, free-flowing streams, snow-capped peaks in the distance, mild winters -- it doesn't get much better for us. By contrast, coastal Mexico (where vacationers usually visit) is hot in the winter – great if you're a beach person (I'm not, it bores me after a couple of weeks or so) – and intolerable in the summer, not a good choice for a year-round home. 

Local weather forecasts we listen to often report that Xalapa (state capitol), Perote and Orizaba consistently are rainier, colder (by several degrees) than what we experience in Fortín-Córdoba. The weather you will experience will be directly related to the elevation. Xalapa is nominally at 1427 meters, Córdoba at 817 meters, and Fortín just about 1000 meters above sea level. We have only holed up inside a handful of days over the course of three winters, so that chipi-chipi that you hear about should only be a concern to you if you like to be out in the evening or at night. We travel about or work in the yard almost every day with no inconvenience whatsoever. Check out our blog for more detail (probably more than you need) about life here. There are links there to various webpages with more info on this beautiful place we now call home!

Dan & Carmen


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