Fall Weather

For the entire month of March and the first week of April the weather here in Buenos Aires was hot and blue skied. It was not unusual for the days to reach above 30 degrees and at night I would lie in sweaty sheets hoping that my little air conditioner could work a little harder. Then last week, the weather changed over night. The news stations were going crazy over the fact that in the countryside the temperature had dipped below zero and formed ice on the roads helping to facilitate even more crashes on the auto pista than normal. The temperature in Buenos Aires had even dipped to a cool 3 degrees before dawn. By the time I left for my Spanish class it was 16 or 17 degrees but you couldn't tell from the way that the Portenos were wrapped up. Gone were the bright skirts and strappy sandals of the day before replaced heavy wool coats and full length pants. There was an amazing variety of gloves, hats and scarves and it seemed as if the people were preparing for a winter in Montreal.

The cold only lasted for a few days. The temperatures rose back into the mid 20s but then the smoke came. The annual burning of the fields in the Buenos Aires delta got out of control and several of the fires jumped, and closed, major commuting routes. The smoke from the fires innundated the city and made everything hazy. The smell of smoke has even permeated into the houses. The government has issued a statement saying that the smoke is not toxic and that it should clear soon but there has been no sign of it's lifting.