A few words about the weather

Before moving to Mexico City, I wanted to know what kind of weather to expect. Would it get very hot in the Summer - like in Egypt? After all, looking at the map of the world, Mexico and Egypt basically lie at the same geographical altitude. How cold would the Winters be? I asked first my Alexandrian friend, who's been living here for four years, and she told me that it was always very warm all the time. This seemed in accordance with Wiki, where I read that the average temperature year round oscillates around 20 degrees Celsius. Then I asked my Mexican friend: "Yes, yes! It's warm! It shouldn't drop below zero in the Winter! Don't worry!" She said. (At this point I started thinking that maybe the 20 degree average was somewhat wishful thinking ...) "But it rains a lot," She added.  "So if you've got rain boots, bring them." I do have rain boots (bright pink ones, for that, which used to draw a lot of attention when I wore them in the gloomy streets of Alexandria in the January - if you've ever been there, I guess you can imagine the faces!), but in the end the boots didn't make the suitcase shortlist. 

So, how is it, actually? Based on what I've seen since the end of October, it looks like everyone has been right in a way. Mexico City lies in a valley, surrounded by mountains. It is located on 2,200 m above sea level and has it's own microclimate. As a result, the average temperatures are more or less stable throughout the year and the air is rather thin (which for me meant a migraine for the first week and panting whenever I tried to walk uphill in Cuahimalpa, a mountainous suburb of the city, where I spent my first days; I got used to it after that and now I feel perfectly fine). It does rain, in the Summer - according to some people to the point of flooding, according to others, it's not that bad. One of my students told me that it's gonna start raining like crazy from around January through October. 

It is also very dry. Coming from Alexandria, where the humidity level is around 60%, Mexico City's 30% made me feel like a snake getting ready to shed it's skin ... So, if you're planning to come here, stock up on moisturizer and drink plenty of water! Because we're so high up in the mountains, there are large amplitudes of temperature between day and night (kind of makes me feel like in the desert). At 5-6 in the morning (on my way to work) it's 8 degrees and then it gradually starts getting warmer, until it reaches about 21-24 in the afternoon. So, layers are key (and by layers I mean anything between a wool sweater and a t-shirt). It is also very sunny and the sky is generally of a pretty slightly pale blue. This was a pleasant surprise, with all the talk of smog in this city (because of the valley surrounded by mountains situation, all the pollution kind of gets stuck and thus hangs over the city like a lead cloud; CDMX's smog is so legendary, it was featured in my high school geography book). In contrast, coastal cities, like Alexandria, get their air filtered by the sea. Overall, the weather here is beautiful, mild and super pleasant.