Temperatures will be higher than average in Mexico this year and more rain will fall than in 2019, according to the head of the National Meteorological Service (SMN).

Jorge Zavala told the news agency EFE that the SMN is forecasting hotter than average weather not just this year but over the entire decade.

“We’ll have temperatures similar to those we had in the past decade,” he said.

The last six years were the six hottest on record in Mexico and climate change is to blame, according to Zavala.

After highlighting that 2019 was the second hottest year since 1953, with an average nationwide temperature of 22.4 C, the SMN chief predicted that climate change will also push temperatures above average this year.

The hotter weather will likely cause damage to some crops and harm some wildlife species, Zavala said.

Without providing a specific prediction about how much wetter this year will be compared to 2019, the meteorologist said that rainfall will increase in 2020. Rain is sorely needed in many parts of Mexico that are currently affected by drought after precipitation declined last year.

February is forecast to be drier than previous years, but higher than average rainfall is predicted for March.

More fires and floods can be expected this year as a result of the hotter and wetter weather, Zavala said.

“A fire needs favorable conditions to spread and they include very high temperatures. . .” he said.

“We’re now facing new climatic conditions in which the temperatures are higher than before and they’re not expected to go down,” the meteorologist added.

Source: EFE (sp)