The first heat wave of the year came to a refreshing end on Sunday thanks to rainstorms over Mexico. Rain remains in the forecast on Monday in 21 states as well as Mexico City, according to the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
After six days of searing temperatures — including an all-time record high of 34.2 degrees Celsius (93.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mexico City (the old mark of 33.9 degrees C was set in May 1998) — cold front 47 swept across much of the country, bringing rain with it. This prompted media references to Tlaloc, the Mexica god of rain, especially with regard to flooding.
⛈️ Te invitamos a consultar el #Pronóstico de #Lluvias para este día en nuestro país.
¡Tómalo en cuenta! 👀 pic.twitter.com/Od8955jiNI
— CONAGUA Clima (@conagua_clima) April 22, 2024
The same cold front will hover over eastern Mexico down through the Yucatán Peninsula, where it will intermingle with a low-pressure system, causing intense rainfall in the peninsula. The cloudbursts are likely to be accompanied by lightning storms.
The SMN also forecast heavy storms in the Gulf Coast states — Campeche, Tabasco, Veracruz and Oaxaca — while also warning of high waves. Downpours are expected in Puebla, Hidalgo, México state, Querétaro, Tlaxcala and Mexico City on Monday afternoon.
Northern states will also be affected with states including Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí on alert for flash floods and landslides.
The cold front will bring a chilly night to Mexico’s mountainous regions, with temperatures predicted to drop near freezing (0 degrees Celsius) in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Chihuahua and Durango, as well as in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt in the middle of the country.
Northern states were also advised to be prepared for blustery conditions as gusts of wind of up to 80 km/hour (50 mph) are to be expected. The unstable conditions could also cause dust storms.
Not all of Mexico will escape the heat, however. Baja California, Colima, Nayarit, Jalisco and Sinaloa as well as regions of Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos, Sonora and Oaxaca could see temperatures soar above 40 degrees C (104 degrees F).
Although the cooler temperatures and the much-needed precipitation provided a welcome relief from the heat over the weekend, a few states were still awash from the storms on Monday. Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Veracruz each received more than 75 millimeters of rain, which is considered torrential according to Weather Insurance Agency guidelines.
Mexico News Daily
