Sunday’s Rain Storm Was One for the Record Books
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Sunday’s Rain Storm Was One for the Record Books

Mérida has experienced a deluge of historic proportions.  Meteorologist Juan Ernesto Vázquez Montalvo reported that Sunday’s rainfall was the second heaviest recorded in the city, surpassed only by Hurricane Isidoro in 2002. While not as prolonged, the rains were copious and lightning was frequent.  According to Vázquez Montalvo, the northeast region of Mérida received 7.1…

Storm brings flooding, winds and violent light show to Yucatán

Storm brings flooding, winds and violent light show to Yucatán

Some residents were terrified while others stated they loved the storm. But by any objective measure, Yucatán’s overnight deluge was the strongest since October’s Storm Delta, said meteorologists. Around 75 milimeters or close to three inches of rain fell before sunrise, a volume of precipitation that caught many off guard. Heavy rains caused flooding throughout…

Mérida considers the future of its controversial underwater underpass

Mérida considers the future of its controversial underwater underpass

A task force to assess the future of a flood-prone underpass was announced Tuesday by Mérida Mayor Renán Barrera. The short but controversial Prolongación tunnel has been underwater on and off since June. Barrera held a press conference to announce the task force, charged with assessing the viability of the paso deprimido. The landmark was…

Proven solutions to Yucatan’s disastrous drainage problems

Proven solutions to Yucatan’s disastrous drainage problems

A reader responds to Yucatan’s persistent flooding problems: In a previous life, I had some experience with this: These problems have already been solved in other parts of the world. My guess is that city planners essentially know what the problems are and how to fix them. It comes down to the will, desire and…

30% of Las Américas underwater for 11th day

30% of Las Américas underwater for 11th day

Although more than 11 million gallons of water have been pumped from the Las Américas, around 30% of the subdivision continues to be flooded, according to its developer, Sadasi. Around 70 percent of its streets are already clear and residents cleaning out their water-damaged houses, but sections 1 and 2 of the development remain almost…

New laws on sprawl to address Merida’s flooding crisis

Construction rules in Merida’s north, where developers have been building malls and housing developments in the past several decades, will have to be re-written to address the realities of a shallow water table and inevitable climate change, experts said. Record rainfall has left newer housing developments flooded and anything built underground — like underpasses and…

Lighthearted Burger King commercial shot at the flooded Montejo underpass

Lighthearted Burger King commercial shot at the flooded Montejo underpass

Seeing the Montejo underpass flood again is irritating, but famous burger chain sees the beauty in Merida’s ersatz estuary. A new Burger King commercial suggests that the “paso deprimido” is a suitable place for relaxing waterfront dining — with Whoppers and fries, of course. If you squint, the blue water that rose from the cenote…

A record-breaking year for rain in Merida (and the year’s not over)

A record-breaking year for rain in Merida (and the year’s not over)

In the last seven days, rainfall has amounted to a third of what Merida normally gets in an entire year. But 2020 is not a normal year. The year still has 82 more days to go and yet Merida has already broken its own annual record for precipitation. The city has accumulated 1,474 mm /…

Floods linger days after storms passed through

Floods linger days after storms passed through

Gamma and Delta are in our rearview mirror. But parts of Yucatan are still underwater after the heavy rainfalls they brought. The hotel zone’s largest intersection, the Monumento a la Patria roundabout, La Ceiba’s golf course, the Las Americas development and countless other homes and patios flooded or waterlogged as Merida’s water table rose above…

Delta lashes Tizimín as some coastal areas evacuate

Delta lashes Tizimín as some coastal areas evacuate

Merida awoke to an almost eerie calm Wednesday while the resort areas on the other side of the Peninsula got a thrashing from Hurricane Delta. With Category 2 force, Delta entered Yucatan state at Tizimín around 7:30 a.m. Alert levels were raised to “orange” on the western side of the state, which includes Merida and Yucatan, and…

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