1...We bought a small book about sightings of the Marfa Lights from first hand accounts. The only possible explanation which would have fitted what we saw was a mirage caused by temperature inversion after sunset, which might reflect the car headlights on US67, apparently from above the road level. If this is the case, they are not the lights which were originally reported in the 1840s. Our doubts about the mirage theory would be that the temperature inversion layer would have had to hold at a constant level above the ground for the whole of the 3 hours for which we watched, as all the lights followed the same path, which doesn't seem that likely. (http://gigaday.com/ayear/C14.html)
2...Drive nine miles east from Marfa any night to the turnout viewing site that edges the old Marfa Army Air Field, and, usually, you will see a dozen or so hopeful light-sighters. They sit on car hoods. They wait by the fence. They talk quietly in the charged West Texas darkness. Sometimes, they wait in vain. For the mysterious ghost lights march to their own drummer. The lights appear at random, during all kinds of weather, at no particular time, during no particular season. (from Urban Legends page... http://www.urbanlegends.com/science/marfa_lights.html)
3...Marfa has also become a popular spot for hang gliding enthusiasts from across the globe. Located near the Davis Mountains, many hang gliders find the thermal pockets excellent for gliding. Marfa also boasts the highest golf course in the state, with an elevation of almost a mile above sea level. The weather in Marfa is always cooler then any other place Texas making it a prime spot for hiking, biking, golfing, and other outdoor activities. (http://www2.arch.ttu.edu/flueckiger00f/students/webb/Project%20Two/history/Default.htm)
4...It is also unbearably hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter, a weather phenomena which helps build legends. Folks around Marfa claim that on moonless nights, the stars are so close that one can pluck them from the heavens and use them as torchlights. (http://www.theoutlaws.com/marfa.htm)
5...Soon after dusk, the lights will appear, just to the right (west) of a radio tower. If you go, you'll easily see them if the weather is fairly clear. The Lights will indeed appear to move around, disappear, then suddenly reappear. (http://members.nbci.com/leaann/marfa_lights.htm)
The Weather Channel gives the following info:
Date ---------------High--- Low ----Conditions
January 30, 2001--- 58 ----29 -----Partly Cloudy dewpoint 25o sunset 6:28 PM
February 3, 2001 ---68 ----33 -----Partly Cloudy
February 6, 2001 ---70 ----40 -----Sunny
Average Data
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/longterm/historical/data/marfa_texas.htm)
|
January |
60.1 |
25.6 |
.38 |
|
February |
64.6 |
28.2 |
.44 |
|
March |
71.4 |
33.6 |
.29 |
|
April |
79.4 |
41.9 |
.56 |
|
May |
85.9 |
49.9 |
1.15 |
|
June |
90.9 |
57.1 |
2.07 |
|
July |
89.6 |
59.9 |
2.55 |
|
August |
87.8 |
59.0 |
2.91 |
|
September |
83.6 |
54.4 |
2.87 |
|
October |
77.4 |
44.2 |
1.61 |
|
November |
68.0 |
33.6 |
0.56 |
|
December |
61.5 |
27.0 |
0.49 |
|
High |
Low |
Precip. |
Copyright (C) 2001
Dr. Sten Odenwald