Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The mass of arctic air that has hit the Yucatan Peninsula could stick around longer than forecast. On Wednesday, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) said the cold air is now likely to stay in the region until Saturday.
The cold arctic air is also expected to create heavy rainfall in the southern regions of Quintana Roo for November 13 and 14. On Tuesday night, local authorities held a meeting regarding the possible 250mm of rain that could hit the south.
Governor Mara Lezama led the meeting saying “we established the Coordination Committee for the Attention to Hydrometeorological Phenomena, given the forecast of atypical rainfall of up to 250 mm in the south of the state.”
According to the SMN, they are monitoring a low-pressure system over the Yucatan Peninsula as well as the approach of a new cold front to the northwest of the country. A majority of the state woke up to very non-tropical mid-teen temperatures for a second day.
For Quintana Roo today, “the arctic air mass that accompanied cold front number 13 will modify its thermal characteristics, allowing for a gradual rise in daytime temperatures across northern, northeastern, eastern and central states,” they reported Wednesday.
“Northerly winds with gusts of 60 to 80 km/h will prevail in Oaxaca and Chiapas (Isthmus and Gulf of Tehuantepec), weakening during the afternoon. Meanwhile, a low-pressure trough in the western Caribbean Sea, interacting with instability at upper levels of the atmosphere, will cause very heavy, isolated showers in Quintana Roo, as well as scattered showers in Campeche and Yucatan.
Cold front number 13 continues to extend over the western Caribbean Sea and will maintain cold to very cold conditions across most of Mexico.
The cold air will also generate a “Norte” event, creating wind gusts of 90 to 110 km/h during the morning in the Isthmus and Gulf of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca and Chiapas), and 50 to 70 km/h along the coasts of Veracruz (central and southern regions), Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo.
Those winds are forecast to diminish by the end of the day. High waves are also expected along the coasts of these states. Additionally, there is a continued chance of showers and heavy rain in southeastern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula.
