Riviera Maya, Q.R. — Historic is the word being used for the amount of rain recorded around Quintana Roo last week. According to the National Water Commission (Conagua), the state capital city of Chetumal accumulated 518 mms of rain in seven days.
Torrential rain began on the night of June 14 and didn’t really let up until June 21. During that time, nearly every municipality experienced flooding, many more than once. Some regions, particularly in the south, were hit two and three times by torrential rain that left their streets and homes under meters of water.
According to Conagua (Comisión Nacional del Agua), Chetumal was the hardest hit in the state. Significant amounts of rain recorded in Chetumal were 137.4 mms between the night of June 14 and the morning of 15. On June 17, another 96 mms fell and on June 19, an additional 76 mms. On June 21, the city was hit again with another 151.8 mms due to the passage of two low pressure zones.
Érika Ramírez Méndez, Conagua Director, says it is the most rain recorded in 72 years.
The island of Cozumel was the second hardest hit. She says approximately 500 millimeters of rain accumulated during that same week followed by the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, where around 460 of rain accumulated.
According to Conagua, Solidaridad (Playa del Carmen) was the fourth hardest hit with around 390 mms of rain. José María Morelos accumulated just over 300 millimeters, while Isla Mujeres, Benito Juárez (Cancun) and Lázaro Cárdenas all hovered just below the 300 millimeter mark.
The figures were released on the heels of two new systems heading for the region.
According to the National Hurricane Centre (NOAA), tropical wave No. 5 (AL94) is producing widespread but disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. While it has a low probability of development in the next few days, it is forecast to bring more rain to the region over the weekend.
However, the NOAA says tropical wave No. 6 (AL95), which is still located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands, continues to produce disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity and has an 80 percent chance of further development within the next seven days.
According to the NOAA, “environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive, and development of this system is anticipated. A tropical depression or tropical storm is likely to form this weekend several hundred miles east of the Windward Islands while the system moves westward at 15 to 20 mph.”
