Riviera Maya, Q.R. — While intense rain remains in the forecast for Quintana Roo, it is an upgrade from the torrential rains felt for the past several days. On Tuesday morning, residents of Cancun woke to flooded city streets after 165 mms fell overnight Monday.
Pablo Gutiérrez Fernández, Cancun City Hall Dispatch Manager reported that 70 areas of the city were flooded due to the Monday night downpour.
“A large amount of water fell in about 10 hours, around 165 millimeters. That is a lot of water that added to the conditions of our subsoil that caused flooding,” he said.
Cancun city crews were out clearing drains and, according to Fernández, most arteries were cleared of water by around 10:30 a.m. He added that the heaviest flooding was reported in the Donceles neighborhood of Cancun.
“We had significant flooding in Donceles, which was complicated since the water table in Donceles is very high and that results in work being done with the firefighters, Civil Protection and public services team,” he said.
City crews were out with four industrial pumps removing the standing water from the neighborhood Tuesday. By the end of the day, only three of the 70 flooded Cancun areas remained waterlogged.
“Of the 70 points we woke up with, only three remain,” he confirmed adding that city firemen also dealt with two large felled trees.
While rain remains in the state’s forecast, the intensity has decreased. The state of Quintana Roo will see intense to moderate amounts of rainfall over Wednesday, an improvement from the torrential rains that began in the south Friday night.
“Moderate to heavy rains will continue, but what we had in the forecasts as the strongest point was in the early morning of Tuesday,” he reported.
Throughout Tuesday, most of the state dried out after water receded from city streets. Isla Mujeres, which was one of the hardest hit areas Monday night, woke to severely flooded island streets Tuesday.
However, by the afternoon, people were out shopping on puddled streets.
Ferry routes between Cancun and Isla Mujeres as well as Cozumel and Playa del Carmen experienced several delays due to rough seas. While the rain took a break during the day, the wind did not, leaving ports closed to small vessels.
A large section of the federal highway in Tulum remains underwater and for most cars, not passable. One motorist who braved the very deep water videoed the level which was registered over the highway guardrail.
Along their journey, a tow truck was seen in water up to its doors rescuing a group of people who became stranded. In the middle of the mangrove area behind the truck can be seen the top of a metal guardrail. On both sides of the flooded area was a long line of mostly cars unable to pass through the flood.
Schools remain closed in the south after places like Chetumal and Bacalar were hit again with rain that left streets and buildings flooded.
Mexico’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) says Quintana Roo will continue to see rain and strong wind gust of between 50 and 70 kms/h across the region Wednesday. As much as 48 mms of rainfall is forecast for Riviera Maya over the course of the day.
“Potential Tropical Cyclone One is moving west-northwest over the Gulf of Mexico. Its wide circulation covers the east and southeast of Mexico as well as the Yucatan Peninsula, generating rain and wind in those regions, as well as high waves on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula.”
Due to the size and trajectory of ONE, the National Hurricane Center has issued tropical storm advisories while the system continues to develop in the Gulf of Mexico.
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas along the northeastern coast of Mexico. A flood watch has been posted for coastal areas in the Gulf of Mexico including southern Texas until early Thursday afternoon.
