Snow along US/Mexico border?

[nestork]

Just a few days ago I was watching a TV show about illegal immigration across the US/Mexico border, and it looked like there was snow on the ground there. In fact, it even looked like there was snow on the hood of a truck that was driving along a road built on one side of the fence that's supposed to stop illegals from crossing that border. I was surprised to see that since the heat from the engine would cause any snow on the truck to disappear from the hood first.

Was that white stuff something else (like I was thinking possibly even just white fluff from cottonwood trees), or does it ever actually get cold enough that far south to have snow accumulate on the ground there? I would have guessed not, but I've never been down there during the winter.

[dadiOH]

Yes, it gets that cold. It even snows in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. And not just in the mountains.

[notbob]

The Rocky Mountains goes from Canada to Mexico. Almost impossible to cross them at less than 10,000 ft. I got caught in a huge snow storm

50 yrs ago in Kingman AZ. Drove South to Phoenix to find passage East. Finally made it, but Still hadda traverse a 10K ft pass covered in snow in NM. Yeah, it snows in Mexico, too.

nb

[Stormin Mormon]

Global warming! We're all going to die!

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Yes, it gets that cold. It even snows in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. And not just in the mountains.

[nestork]

Thanks, guys.

Up here, when I watch football and baseball games that are being broadcast from a southern US city, the one thing that never ceases to catch my attention is how the people in the stands are just wearing light windbreakers and autumn jackets in January and February, and how much shorter the shadows are (meaning the Sun is higher in the sky there).

I would have never expected there to be snow on the US/Mexico border, but I fully expect that the mountain areas would have plenty of snow, even in Mexico (cuz the warm moist air gains altitude as it gets pushed over the mountains).

I learn something every day. But, not everything I learn is worth knowing. :)

[harry]

There is snow in Venezuela, Peru and right on the equator in Kenya all year round. In the mountains of course

[krw]

The coldest day here, so far this winter, has had a high in the upper

40s and a low in the low 20s. Most days in January and February have the high near 60F and the low around 40F. I'm in Atlanta, which is a *long* way from Miami or AZ.

It's rare but it even reaches 80F in January in Vermont. Well, maybe once. ;-)

[dpb]

...

One big difference when you get much past middle of KS heading west is that typically our dewpoints are much lower. Consequently, while it can be in the low- to mid-teens at night here, it's not at all unusual to have highs in the 50s/low-60s and occasionally even 70s even during Dec/Jan/Feb because w/o any significant moisture in the air the heat capacity is very small and so insolation heating is very effective. And, of course, the converse is true w/ wide-open clear skies at night radiation cooling is very effective at cooling it off after sundown.

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[gregz]

For example, elpaso is at least 3500 feet high. When I was down that way, got some snow every year. The peaks around elpaso are easily 4000 feet. 3/4 mile high city.

Greg

[Wes Groleau]

I lived in San Diego seven of my ten Navy years. Scraped ice off my windshield three times. Never saw snow there, but other people did. And before I had a car, it sure was cold waiting for a bus at ten PM.

Got out of the Navy and moved to Syracuse, NY, where I once saw snow at noon on June first. :-)