Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - We are in the period I call the "Vallarta Tease." It starts in May and, as a rule, usually lasts well into June. What happens is that the warm maritime air flowing in from the Bay all day hits the mountains behind the town and the cloud buildups look so sinister that you're ready to 'bet the farm' that there will be rain, indeed a downpour, within hours or minutes.

This, of course, doesn't happen and here's why. The heated land attracts the maritime air during the daytime which causes the buildups. However, as the land cools, the great thermal over the bay begins to reverse this trend. As the night takes over, the offshore breeze reverses and the buildups caused by the upslope against the mountains now descend once again causing the temperature to increase and the clouds to vaporize.

The net result is that, instead of the inevitable rain we expect as dusk takes over, we are surprised to see stars instead of rain by ten or eleven o'clock. This, my friends, is what I call the Vallarta tease... and it lasts and lasts. How many farms have you got to bet?

Although we are craving the rains, (or a least our plants are,) we are going to have to be patient as this phenomenon lasts about one whole month. Perhaps not every night, but with increasing regularity until the climax... about June 20th I reckon, although I've be off on that estimate many times over the past 40 plus years. The bottom line is, don't hold your breath for rain until well into June.

This is most prevalent in the City itself and not so much from the airport north, indeed from the Sheraton north to be explicit. This attribute, exclusive to the downtown area which gives us the bug free climate and pleasant day and night time variants, is also a factor in the 'Tease.'

Now, having said this, these same clouds do produce rain higher into the mountains but us 'Coasties' will have to wait until the sky brings us the downpours that are inevitable once they start. The key to prediction is temperature, and we are well below what it takes to cause those downpours. Indeed, this year is unusual as we are still enjoying winter-like weather, although we're well into Spring.

Soon, we will start complaining about how 'hot it is' and asking 'when is going to rain?' Until then, enjoy the "Vallarta Tease."