Riviera Maya, Q.R. — UPDATED: Major Hurricane Milton began to rear its massive head Monday evening as it approached the Yucatan Peninsula. For hours, the sky was lit up by bright bolts of continuous lightning followed by deafening cracks of thunder.
Heavy rain pounded the northern region from the state of Yucatan all the way down into Riviera Maya along the central coast of Quintana Roo. As predicted by the National Hurricane Centre, Milton’s wind and rain were felt hard and forceful well beyond Playa del Carmen.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama said a hurricane the size of Milton has not been seen here since Wilma (2005) and Félix (2007). Milton’s approach has left the region soaked, however, its size affected a larger portion of the Peninsula than anticipated.
Milton continues to pass by Mexico as a category 4 after having lost some of its strength overnight. On Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said Milton is completing a cycle of eyewall replacement which will decrease sustained winds but allow the hurricane to become even larger.
NHC forecasters said Milton could double in size by the time it makes landfall on the Florida Peninsula Wednesday night.
The state of Yucatan was on red alert (high danger) Monday. Prior to the approach of Milton, thousands were evacuated in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo. According to Lezama, 2,711 people were evacuated from the island of Holbox Monday.
Hurricane Milton has disrupted power, leaving some areas of the Yucatan without electricity and has caused several cancellations at the Cancun International Airport. Ferries continue to remain docked around Quintana Roo. Public transportation in the northern region including the Tren Maya, remain shut down.
As of Tuesday morning, strong winds with bursts of stronger gusts continue to be felt along the coast of Quintana Roo signifying Milton’s continued presence in the region. According to forecasts, Milton will continue to affect Playa del Carmen until Tuesday evening and Cancun until early Wednesday morning.
In Celestún, Yucatan, sea water overflowed low lying streets and residential areas leaving some in waist-deep water. Through social networks, residents posted devastating photos and reported being left without communication due to the power failures.
Early Tuesday, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) reported power outages on the coasts of Yucatan and Campeche began at 2:46 p.m. (local time) on October 7. The first outage left 12,064 people without electricity.
The CFE says more than 7,000 of those affected have had their power restored. While power flickered heavily from Cancun to Playa del Carmen, there have not been any reports of outages.
UPDATE Oct 8 P.M.: On Tuesday afternoon, the CFE updated those figures to nearly 100,000. Aside from the initial 12,000 affected, an additional 89,650 people in the states of Yucatan and Campeche were left without electricity due to Milton. By 5:00 p.m. Cancun time, the CFE reports restoring power to 81 percent of those affected.
State Civil Protection reported Tuesday morning that heavy rains, wind gusts of 180 to 200 kms/h and thunderstorms continue in the forecast for Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas , Benito Juárez, Puerto Morelos, Solidaridad, Tulum, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, José María Morelos, Bacalar, Othón P. Blanco and Cozumel for the next several hours.
