Riviera Maya, Q.R. — An approaching cold front is forecast to blanket the Yucatan Peninsula for Tuesday. The mass of arctic air arriving from the U.S. will also create rain and strong winds in the region as it mixes with warm tropical air.
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported Sunday that cold front number 13 is expected to move rapidly over the north, northeast and east of the country.
As it moves, it will interact with a low pressure trough over southeastern Mexico, causing intense isolated to very heavy rains across the Yucatan Peninsula.
“The arctic air mass associated with the front, combined with a polar trough and subtropical jet streams, will cause a significant drop in temperature across northern, northeastern, eastern and central Mexico,” they said.
The SMN says with the arrival of the arctic air, they expect very cold to freezing conditions including frost in states of the Northern Plateau and the Central Plateau. Their current forecast has the large mass of arctic air hitting the Yucatan region sometime Tuesday.
Rain and strong winds are expected to start Monday with the incoming arrival of the cold air. For Quintana Roo, between 25mm and 50mm of rain is forecast for the coastal areas with winds of 30 to 40 km/h and gusts of 50 to 70 km/h for the coasts of Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, the SMN reported.
On Tuesday, the SMN says that rain amounts will be less, around 5mm, however, strong winds will continue. The “Norte” event will create winds of 50 to 60 km/h with gusts of 80 to 100 km/h for Oaxaca and Chiapas, while winds of 20 to 35 km/h with gusts of 50 to 60 km/h are forecast for the coasts of Veracruz (south), Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
Those strong winds will also create waves of between two and three meters along the coastal regions, which could affect ferry travel around Quintana Roo.
