Feeling chilly lately? Weatherman says it’s a ‘return to normal’ for this time of year

Rafael Nuquez admits he’s been feeling cold lately. “Yes, we’re all complaining, especially my wife, but it’s important to understand that this is the coolest time of the year in Cuenca and in most of the intermountain valley. It is nothing out of the ordinary.”

Feeling chilly lately? ‘Tis the season.

According to Nuquez, former director of the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, many Cuencanos were spoiled by warmer than average temperatures in June, July and August in 2023 and 2024 as a result of the record drought.

“Historically, these are the coolest months of the year,” Nuquez says. “Because of the drought, we had 20% more sunshine hours in 2023 and 35% more In 2024, and this gave us record temperatures. It also led to high levels of evaporation which contributed to forest fires and power blackouts.”

So why are June, July and August so chilly?

“Even though we are on the equator, we are affected by factors outside of the region,” Nuquez says. “First, this is the time of year when the Humboldt Current, which originates in Antarctica, flows the strongest and brings us cooler air. Visitors to the Galapagos, which is surrounded by the current, are often surprised that daytime temperatures in July often do not rise above 25 degrees (77 Fahrenheit).”

A second factor, says Nuquez, are air currents moving north from Argentina, Chile and Peru. “It is winter in these countries, and we are subject to atmospheric flows from the south. When the flow is strongest, most of Ecuador experiences heavy cloud cover, as we have seen in recent days.”

So what’s the forecast for this week? “We should see a few hours of sunshine the next couple of days, which means slightly warmer temperatures, at least through Wednesday,” Nuquez says. “After that, your guess is as good as mine.”