After Tropical Storm Alberto brought respite from the sweltering heat waves, the Mexican National Meteorological Service (SMN) has forecast a week of heavy rain across Mexico.
Torrential rainfall (150 to 250 millimeters) is expected on Monday in the western states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán, and the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental.
Chiapas, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Morelos, Nayarit, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz will experience heavy rain (75 to 150 mm) along with Chihuahua, the state of Mexico, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Sonora and Yucatán, according to the forecast.
The rest of the country may experience isolated showers and rain that will continue until the week’s end.
Towards the weekend, a highly active tropical wave is anticipated to approach the southeast, east, center and south of the country, possibly evolving into a tropical cyclone and causing substantial rainfall.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) warns that the heaviest rains may be accompanied by lightning, strong winds and hail, and could cause flooding in low-lying areas. Residents should remain alert to instructions from Civil Protection.
Despite the rain, some states in the northwest, north, northeast and southeast of Mexico will continue to experience hot weather with temperatures ranging between 32 and 40 degrees Celsius. The SMN forecast scorching temperatures of 45 C for the border of Sonora and Baja California with Arizona.
On the other hand, strong to very strong winds are expected in the northwest, with potential whirlwinds forming in Chihuahua, Sonora, and Tamaulipas. Waterspouts may also form on the coast of Michoacán.
Factors influencing the weather conditions include low pressure systems over most of the country, upper-level divergence, moisture flow from both coasts, the monsoon trough near the Mexican South Pacific coasts and a new tropical wave south of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Alberto brings relief to parched northern Mexico
Alberto, which made landfall in Tamaulipas early Thursday morning and quickly downgraded to a tropical depression, has helped to somewhat alleviate the water crisis in the northeast.
In Tamaulipas, the heavy rainfall has helped replenish its main reservoirs, with the Vicente Guerrero dam seeing the most significant recovery compared to the levels before the storm. On Sunday, the National Water Commission (Conagua) reported that Vicente Guerrero dam was 18.1% full, while Marte R. Gómez dam reported the highest water levels at 37.7%.
In Nuevo León, a state heavily affected by drought, Conagua reported on Monday that three of its dams were over 50% full: La Boca reservoir at 95.06%, Cerro Prieto at 51.55%, and El Cuchillo at 80.16%.
