Fourth Winter Storm to Bring Intense Cold and Heavy Rains to Mexico, Heatwave Persists

Mexico is bracing for a stark contrast in weather conditions as the Fourth Winter Storm of the season moves across the north, bringing intense frosts and heavy rains, whereas a persistent heatwave continues to affect much of the rest of the country. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) reports the storm is forming from the interaction of a cyclonic circulation and Cold Front number 40.

Impact of the Fourth Winter Storm

The winter storm is expected to cause a significant drop in temperatures, with intense gusts of wind and the possibility of snow or sleet in mountainous areas of Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua. The storm will gradually move over Sonora and Chihuahua on March 10 and 11, and is expected to enter Texas in the United States, though effects will remain in several regions of Mexico.

Affected States and Temperatures

The advance of the Fourth Winter Storm will cause a considerable drop in temperatures during the early hours of the week. Low temperatures are expected in central and southern states, with the thermometer dropping between 0 and -5 degrees Celsius.

• -10 to -5 degrees Celsius: Chihuahua and Durango
• -5 to 0 degrees Celsius: Baja California, Sonora, Zacatecas, and the State of Mexico
• 0 to 5 degrees Celsius: Baja California Sur, Jalisco, Michoacán, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla, Veracruz, and Oaxaca

Cold Front number 40 will interact with warm and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, generating heavy rains with electrical storms and possible hail in Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.

Heatwave Continues in Much of Mexico

Despite the cold front in the north, a heatwave will continue to affect a large part of the country, with maximum temperatures between 35 and 45 degrees Celsius in several regions, mainly in the west, and south.

• 40 to 45 degrees Celsius: Michoacán (southwest), Guerrero (northwest), and Oaxaca (isthmus)
• 35 to 40 degrees Celsius: Sinaloa (south), Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Morelos, Puebla (southwest), Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatán
• 30 to 35 degrees Celsius: Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, State of Mexico (southwest), Veracruz, and Quintana Roo

“North” Event Expected

A polar air mass will reinforce Cold Front number 40, leading to a “North” event with strong gusts of wind in Tamaulipas and Veracruz, as well as in the region of the isthmus and gulf of Tehuantepec, in Oaxaca and Chiapas. The Weather Prediction Center provides further information on weather patterns.

For the latest forecast maps, visit the National Weather Service.