The best time to visit El Salvador is during the dry season from November to February. Though temperatures reach a high of around 30°C - and in the coastal lowlands, it feels much hotter because of the humidity - it's easiest to get around at this time and even the back roads are accessible. Towards the end of the dry season, in March and April, temperatures increase to around 34°C and, in the lowlands, can feel unbearable. During the wet season - May to October - the heat and humidity are temporarily relieved by daily downpours, though these rarely last for more than a couple of hours, and there are spectacular lightning storms in the mountains around San Salvador. Travel is difficult, as mud roads in the back country become impassable. Sometimes, between September to November, El Salvador is affected by the tail end of hurricanes out in the Pacific; when this happens, as occurred during Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the rain can last for days, and cities begin to flood. Whatever the season, the climate is coolest in the mountains , where temperatures are moderated by altitude, being far fresher by day and cool at night.