Severe flooding followed a hail and rain storm yesterday evening in Mexico City in what officials described as the worst storm of the year so far.

The borough of Cuajimalpa saw the worst of it, getting 53 millimeters of rain during the three-hour storm. Other affected boroughs were Iztapalapa, Coyoacán and Tlalpan.

Flooded streets left vehicles almost totally submerged, paralyzed traffic and left countless motorists trapped in their vehicles. Flooding damaged several dozen homes and high winds brought down several trees.

The Mexico City government said Tropical Wave No. 34 in eastern and central Mexico and No. 33 in the west were causing the heavy rains and wind in the center of the country. More rain and hail are forecast for today, at times heavy, in the west of the city.

The intensity of the rain and hail along with garbage clogging drains caused the flooding, officials said.

The city water utility Sacmex said drainage infrastructure, which consists of 12,000 kilometers of culverts and 96 pumping stations, was operating at maximum capacity during the storm.

Source: Expansión (sp), El Financiero (sp)