Rainfall in Mexico in June was 51.3% higher than the average for the month in recent decades, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported this week.
The 30 days between May 31 and June 29 constituted “quite a rainy period,” particularly along the Gulf of Mexico coast and in the south and southeast of the country, Alejandro Jair García Jiménez, an SMN official, reported on Tuesday.
During an SMN “informative session” broadcast online, he said that accumulated rainfall totaled 148.1 millimeters in the 30 days to June 29, 51.3% higher than the average for the same period between 1991 and 2020.
Rain brought by Hurricane Erick, which made landfall in Oaxaca last month, and other recent storms, contributed to the high levels of precipitation in Mexico in June. The rain helped ease drought conditions.
On June 15, the percentage of the country experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions was 37.5%, well below the 73.79% recorded on the same date in 2024.
García also reported that accumulated rainfall in Mexico between January 1 and June 29 was 10.9% higher than the annual average for the same period between 1991 and 2020.
He said that 233.9 millimeters of rain was recorded in the first six months of the year, 22.9 millimeters more than the average in recent decades.
CDMX records rainiest June since 1968
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada reported earlier this week that accumulated rainfall in the capital in June amounted to 337 million cubic meters of water. That made last month the rainiest June in 57 years.
If 337 million cubic meters of water sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. That amount of water could fill up Mexico City’s cavernous Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) 176 times, the Reforma newspaper reported.
Given the heavy rainfall — almost double the historic average for June in Mexico City — it’s no surprise that flooding in the capital was a problem last month.
Brugada attributed the immense precipitation to climate change and asserted that such rainfall can no longer be considered atypical.
Torrential rain was recorded in Mexico City on various days last month, including June 29, with 38 million cubic meters of water falling on the capital.
Reservoir levels up 24% compared to June 2024
According to National Water Commission (Conagua) data, the largest 210 reservoirs in Mexico were collectively holding 56.9 million cubic meters of water at the end of June. That figure represents 45% of the maximum capacity of the reservoirs.
Compared to June 30, 2024, the quantity of water in the 210 principal reservoirs in Mexico was 24.4% higher. However, the 56.9 million cubic meters of water the reservoirs held at the end of June was 5.2% below the historical average.
The quantity of water in the reservoirs increased 3.4% between June 23 and June 30.
Data presented by Conagua official Daniel Arriaga Fuentes on Tuesday showed that 19 of Mexico’s 210 largest reservoirs were at full capacity at the end of June, up from just five at the same time last year.
Thirty-one reservoirs were at least 75% full, while 63 were 50%-75% full.
Almost half of the 210 principal reservoirs — 97 — were less than 50% full. While the high number is a concern, it is significantly lower than the 158 reservoirs that were less than 50% full a year ago.
A Conagua map shows that the reservoirs that are currently less than half full are concentrated in northern and central Mexico.
The reservoirs that make up the Cutzamala system, which supplies water to the Mexico City metropolitan area, were at 52% capacity at the end of June, up from just 26.7% a year earlier.
“Since May 25, the Cutzamala system has had contributions [of water from rainfall] and its storage is on the rise,” said Citlali Peraza Camacho, director of the Conagua department responsible for the Valley of Mexico water basin.
Water supply is a major concern in Mexico City, making the recent rain especially welcome, despite the flooding and other problems it has caused in the capital.
36 deaths attributed to recent rainfall
The newspaper La Jornada reported on Wednesday that there have been 36 deaths in Mexico related to rain since the rainy season began on May 15.
Citing data from state authorities, La Jornada said that 10 fatalities in the southern state of Oaxaca were related to heavy rainfall.
It also reported six rain-related fatalities in Guanajuato; five in Chihuahua; four in each of Jalisco and San Luis Potosí; three in Morelos; and one in each of Guerrero, Hidalgo, Tamaulipas and Colima.
A one-year-old baby boy died in a swollen river in the municipality of San Marcos, Guerrero, after Hurricane Erick made landfall in the neighboring state of Oaxaca on June 19.
La Jornada also reported that rainy and stormy conditions in recent weeks have damaged thousands of homes as well as hundreds of roads and bridges.
Oaxaca and Guerrero, which bore the brunt of Hurricane Erick, are the worst affected states, but flooding has also recently caused damage to homes in other states, including México state and Hidalgo.
With reports from Reforma, La Jornada, El Economista and Milenio
