Spring In El Paso Is Either Very Hot, Really Cold Or Just Right

We've hit that point in the Southwest where Mother Nature decides it would save a lot of time to skip Spring and get right to Summer temps.

Once the windy season calls it a day ... which, mind you, may not be until late May ... spring gets nice around El Paso. While summer knocks gently on the door.

By April, El Chuco can already have hi temps in the 90's. Meanwhile, chilly nights and the threat of some crazy west Texas storm bringing sleet, hail and/or a late snow keeps peeps from turning on the AC's.

El Paso can get tricky when it comes to weather. Especially during spring ... turn AC and heater units on and off too soon and you're freezing one day or night, cooking the next.

I play the weather lotto every year and my record after a couple of decades is about 50/50. I think winters done, make the proper adjustments and boom ... winter's back.

Anticipating that, I put off activating the coolers. In the meantime, the plants wither, I lose a pound or two and the dog gives me that WTF look while panting. You can't win.

For those of you who want to ride out the "dog days" of winter sans AC, here are a few tips.

Go get your AC parts now. Half the city is playing the same game and everyone will say "uncle" at about the same time. Roughly, early - mid May so, be ready. The lines at Lowes will be long and motors, pumps, fan belts, etc may run out.

Have a fan or two handy ... for best results, throw a wet (clean) dish towel over the front face.

Ventilation is your friend. Open a window, if possible, at either end of the room.

Window units rock. At this point in time and later on. Especially during monsoon season, when your "swamp cooler" does little, if any, good.