Durango drops into the deep freeze

Contrary to popular belief, many parts of Mexico shiver through the winter - at least at night. Many visitors to cities like Guadalajara and Mexico arrive with attire better suited for Puerto Vallarta or Cancun, mistakenly thinking the whole country has beach-like temperatures.

I spent a chilly Christmas in San Miguel de Allende. The daytime highs reached into the mid 20s (Celsius), but the mornings and evenings were another matter. On my way back from Mexico City on Sunday morning, I departed on a flight taking off from the Toluca airport. The terminal was very was open and lacked heating.

And now, the temperature in parts of Durango, a desert state famous for being the setting of many western movies, dipped to -21.5 Celsius over the new year's holiday.