It’s been 59 days since Yucatan has experienced rain

Snakes, like this Bronze-backed Parrot Snakes, are slithering across the Yucatan Peninsula. Photo: Backyardnature.net

Rain — a barely remembered phenomenon in which drops of water fall from clouds in the sky — hasn’t occurred here for 58 days.

Three years of below-average rainfall are merging, and groundwater levels are already dropping to minimum levels. And then there’s the heat.

A string of 58 rainless days has come with 55 days with highs above 37F / 98.6. In April alone, 13 of the past 28 days the mercury pushed past 40C / 104F.

By 4 p.m. Saturday, the high in Merida hit 40.6C / 105 F. It felt like 44C / 111F, according to the National Water Commission, or Conagua. But it didn’t reach the season’s record high of 43.1C / 109.5F the Saturday before.

In Progreso, the beach gave little relief, reaching 39.3C / 102.7.

In the interior of the state, Motul suffered the most, at 45C / 113F.

Long-term estimates indicate that weather trend will continue at least until Friday.

Yuumil Kaan, a group dedicated to protecting Yucatan’s reptiles, noted that the intense heat stirs up the local snake population as it seeks food. But poisonous snakes are rare in Yucatan, although they can still bite if they feel threatened.

If a snake or viper is found inside, the group asks the public to let the local fire department handle them.

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