Chetumal, Q.R. — North winds associated with cold front 13 caused the temporary emptying of Chetumal Bay Wednesday. The sea water naturally receded overnight, leaving residents to wake up Wednesday morning to sand.
Governor Mara Lezama was in Chetumal Wednesday morning where she snapped a few photos of the waterless bay. While there, she said so much water had gone, footprints from wandering crocodiles could be easily seen in the sand.
“The effect of the natural and hydrometeorological phenomena in Chetumal Bay is impressive. The water level dropped so much that you can even see heron and crocodile tracks on the sand.”
The natural receding of the sea water was the result of the passing of the arctic cold front that hit Quintana Roo earlier this week. According to NOAA’s National Weather Service, cold fronts can temporarily alter the hydrodynamic equilibrium of a coastline, especially with strong northly winds.
Those strong winds from the cold front pushed the sea water out of the bay, exposing the sand for several meters.
While the mass of arctic air that hit the Yucatan Peninsula Tuesday has, for the most part moved off, the south is now bracing for torrential rain.
According to the National Meteorological Service, “today, a low-pressure trough will extend over the western Caribbean Sea, interacting with moisture and atmospheric instability causing isolated torrential downpours with possible waterspouts in southern Quintana Roo, as well as very heavy rain in Campeche, and showers in Yucatan.”
“Intense to torrential downpours (150 to 250 mm): southern Quintana Roo,” the agency has warned. The municipalities of Bacalar and Othón P. Blanco are forecast to be the most affected by the Thursday downpours.
