Clarification: I think you really have to live in Loja for a few years in a row to understand the weather here. I am in my twelfth year in Ecuador as I write this and it makes a lot more sense to me now than it did a few years ago. I'm sure in 5 more years it will be much clearer (or rainier, ha ha) still.
Okay, so the Lojanos (native Ecuadorians who were born in Loja) tell me that in the past Loja had a wet season and a dry season, and quite frankly, many say that the weather in recent years is quite confusing as it has changed so much. I think the most you could say about seasonal differences in the amount of moisture falling from the sky in recent times is that we have a rainy season, a rainier season and a rainiest season. But maybe that's not really helpful. Maybe what you need to know is that it rains just about every single day in Loja for some portion of the day as measured from midnight to the following midnight. Not always enough to be counted as a "day with rain" by the internet weather sites or government records but there is almost always some moisture falling during that 24 hour period.
Note that weather sites like wunderground and accuweather only report rainfall for days that get at least 1 millimeter of rain. On many of the days when it reports no rain for Loja we had light rain on and off -- or a short sprinkle during the night -- but not enough to add up to the threshold amount.
In recent years we've only had about 10 days/year with no moisture at all. Does that mean that it's always raining? No, not at all. Because we also get some direct sun for some period of time almost every single day of the year.
Sometimes we get into a pattern where it's rainy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. But at least as often, we have the opposite -- enjoy the sun in the morning and pull out the raincoat for the afternoon. We also get days that are drizzly almost all day long and you'll need to time it well to get that little stretch of sunshine. AND, we get weather patterns where it is sunny all day and only rains a bit in the middle of the night. Most weather patterns only stick around for a few days in a row and then we get a new one. So, if you don't like the weather, wait a few days and it will probably change.
We absolutely do have seasons in Loja, but they are not rainy and dry seasons. The seasons have more to do with how cold it gets and other variables such as wind. However, if you are looking for warmth and sun, your best bet is to visit in November or December* as that is Loja's new unofficial summer. September and October are usually also beautiful, warm and with more sun than the preceding months in the year. But still with enough rain to cause minor flooding from time to time.
*Note: In a strong El Niño year all bets are off. For example, December of 2015 was very different than recent previous Decembers, cold and rainy. Then January-June 2016 were warmer than normal and not quite as rainy. July-December 2016 were quite a bit warmer and drier than other recent years. In that case, the El Niño effects wore off by the end of 2016 and we fell back into the seasonal patterns that Lojanos tell me have lasted for at least the preceding 15 years.
Personally, I've learned to make peace with having 12 months of rainy weather per year because the gift we get in return is that it is always green in Loja. But it isn't for everyone!
By the way, almost all of the people on English-speaking social media pages who say they live in Loja actually live in Vilcabamba, Malacatos, or on land near those places. These are in the Canton (like a county) of Loja but very, very different from the city of Loja and with a different climate. So if you see them posting pictures of their kids running around in bathing suits in July and complaining about the heat, know that we're up here in the city wearing our fleece and warming our hands by the portable heater so they aren't too numb to type!
Click here for more information on the seasons in the city of Loja.
Click here to see more Misconceptions about Loja, Ecuador.
Click here to visit the All About Loja page, including pictures.
Click here to visit the All About Loja page, including pictures.
