Riviera Maya, Q.R. — It’s easy to forget that it’s winter along the Yucatan Peninsula, however, the continued arrival of cool air reminds us. Residents in a large portion of Mexico’s north-central and northeast will want to brace for one of the coldest yet.
On Sunday, Mexico’s Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) has forecast the arrival of not just a cold front, but a mass of polar air arriving from the U.S. The weather agency says that the polar air will create freezing temperatures in the country’s mountains, while other affected states are likely to experience heavy rain and thunderstorms.
SMN says front no. 22 has already begun entering the country and will hit the Yucatan Peninsula by Sunday. With its arrival, morning frost and sleet are likely over the mountains of Chihuahua and Sonora, while thunderstorms and heavy rain is expected for states in the southeast.
On Saturday, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional reports “cold front No. 22 will travel through the east and southeast of the Mexican Republic causing showers and heavy to very heavy rains and possible hailstorms over these regions.
“The polar air mass associated with the front, in interaction with a strong pulse of the jet stream, will generate strong to intense winds in the north, northeast and center of the country as well as the possibility of snow or sleet in mountain areas of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila.
As the system moves east, it will have a great impact on nighttime and morning temperatures along the Yucatan Peninsula. On Sunday and Monday, the cold front will extend over the southeast of the Mexican Republic and the Yucatan Peninsula, causing showers and heavy to very heavy rains in these regions.
The SMN reports intervals of showers with strong punctual rains of between 25 to 50 mm in Oaxaca and Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo with possible hail in Jalisco, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Yucatán.
Wind gusts of 60 to 70 kms/h are expected along the coasts of Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo (north).
Daytime temperatures along the peninsula should rebound to around 30C. The polar air mass is expected to dissipate over the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday.
