Summer in Sonora
There is one thing in common that all areas of Sonora have during the summer – they are hot!
The northern part of the state has a climate very much like that of Southern Arizona – very dry heat until the start of the monsoon season, which brings higher humidity and occasional afternoon rain and dust storms.
The southern portion of the state has heat and constantly high humidity, as influenced by its proximity to the Sea of Cortez and the more tropical ecosystem in the extreme south portion of Sonora.
The rainy, or “monsoon” season typically begins by the end of June, although it can start as late as July. If it rains on June 24th, the day of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan), the rain is considered to be blessed. In fact, all water is considered to be blessed on that day.
There are some summer festivals in June and July (August is just too hot).
The Día de la Marina, or Navy Day, is celebrated on June 1st in the port cities of Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point) and Guaymas. In addition, there are typically fiestas in most cities and pueblos to celebrate June 24th (San Juan Batista) as well as June 29th, a day of feasting in honor of St. Peter and St. Paul (but no, not Mary – her day is December 12th)l.
July starts with the Festival de la Uva in Caborca, an annual event to celebrate the grape harvest. Then on July 10th, Puerto Peñasco celebrates its anniversary with the Fiestas del Pueblo Agua y Sol. The 10th also starts the five-day Mar Bermejo festival in Guaymas, to commemorate the defeat of the French naval force on June 13, 1854.
And of course the desert goes thmorate the successful defense of the city against a rough its summer changes as well, typically after the summer rains begin. Due to unusually cool early-summer temperatures in the summer of 2011, the cactus began to show their ruby-red fruit and white flowers early, in mid June.
I took these pictures at the Rancho Puerto Blanco tourist ranch in Caborca, Sonora, where in addition to having the largest concentration of rock art petroglyphs in Latin America, the ranch also has nature trails that offer up-close photographic opportunities.
But if you travel anywhere in Sonora, especially during the summer, drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated. Especially with the dry desert air, your sweat evaporates immediately and you may not realize that you are becoming dehydrated. Add the intense heat to the equation and you could experience serious and potentially life-threatening conditions like heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
