Friday, July 18, 2025

Tornado surprises residents of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, but leaves no damage

Some residents of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, looked up in alarm while others dashed for their cellphones as an earth-colored tornado spun through the area on Tuesday, but without leaving much evidence of its passage.

State Civil Protection officials said the low-density tornado touched down at 1:00pm between the communities of Saucito del Poleo and Valdecañas and generated winds of between 60 and 117 kilometers per hour, qualifying it as an EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale — the lowest rating for tornado intensity.

Although many residents were alarmed, authorities reported neither property damage nor injuries. Videos and photos of the phenomenon have been widely shared on social media.

According to Manuel de Jesús Macías Patiño, an environmental expert and researcher at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, climate change was to blame for the event. He added that while whirlwinds and small tornados are not uncommon in Zacatecas during other seasons, a long dry spell caused by changing climate conditions facilitated the formation of the twister.

Macías Patiño advised residents to be prepared to see more unusual and out-of-season weather patterns and phenomenon as climate change accelerates. He also said that since storms and tornados were likely to become both more frequent and stronger, the state government should invest in special radar technology capable of detecting conditions under which tornados form.

Source: Excélsior (sp), El Universal (sp)

The tornado caused no damage or casualties.
The tornado caused no damage or casualties.
Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A man stands by an open suitcase in an airport revision area

Foreign national caught with over a million pesos of ketamine in Cancún airport

0
Officials confiscated 2 kilograms of ketamine, a controlled substance in Mexico.
two people walkin gby a for rent sign

Can rent control stop gentrification? Mexico City officials plan to find out

9
Political leaders in the nation's capital have reached into their anti-gentrification toolkit and come up with an approach that goes straight to the heart of the problem.
cell phone with Uber

Mexican authorities slam Uber’s price hike: ‘Unilateral and irresponsible’

2
The ride-hailing app insists that the rise is necessary after recent labor reforms gave its drivers full employee rights, including IMSS membership.
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity