Last Thursday April 21 there were stormy periods in the Mexico City that surprised the capitalsnot only because of its intensity, but also because of the time that the approach of these convective nuclei lasted, which began to appear approximately from 7:30 p.m. and ceased until almost 6:00 a.m. but from April 22 .
As of 8:15 p.m., the Secretariat for Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection of Mexico City (SGIRPC) issued the Yellow Alert for the southern and western demarcations, but As a result of the rapid development of the storms, the Orange Alert was activated at 8:50 p.m. for the districts of Alvaro Obregon, Cuajimalpa y Magdalena Contreras.
How was the storm generated in Mexico City?
The aforementioned phenomenon It seemed to stop around 10:30 p.m., when the precipitation was already moving towards other regions. However, around 3:00 a.m., more convective cells began to approach. towards the west of Mexico City and by not losing its intensity along its route, the SGIRPC issued the Red alert for this region of the city, with the aim of making people and institutions aware of the imminent risk of urban flooding due to the saturation of the drains due to the constant hours of heavy rain
This was the result of the presence of a low pressure channel in the center of the country, in combination with the entry of moisture, which, together with local effects such as high daytime temperatures and orography, potentiated the development of storms. It is important to mention that these conditions were also present in San Luis Potosí, State of Mexico, Veracruz, among others.
Spatial distribution of rainfall recorded in various events from 04/21/2022 at 06:00 a.m. to 04/22/2022 at 06:00 a.m. by the stations of the @SGIRPC_CDMX, @SacmexCDMX, @conagua_climate y @UNAM_MX.# LaPrevenciónEsNuestraFuerza pic.twitter.com/fBPw2GMQad
— Secretary of Comprehensive Risk Management and PC (@SGIRPC_CDMX) April 22, 2022
The accumulated rainfall values for last Thursday in the country’s capital were 67.8 mm in Álvaro Obregón, 59.6 mm in Cuajimalpa and 51.8 mm in Magdalena Contreras, in the rest of the city they ranged between 20 and 40 mmso it is notorious that this storm was concentrated in the western region, however, the rain was widespread.
Was the rain record broken on April 21?
The recorded data must be compared with the historical data of the same station, as it is complex to consult, we present the values that are publicly available on the website of the National Metereological Servicefor Álvaro Obregón in the Santa Fe neighborhood average rainfall has been recorded in April of 28.5 mmm, however, there is a maximum in 1976 of 82.8 mm. Meanwhile, for the Desierto de los Leones region, the monthly average is 37.8 mm, but the historical maximum in 1980 was 93.7 mm.
Under these measurements, It is very likely that the monthly average rainfall that is more common in April has been exceeded, however, it is important to note that climatologically there are higher extremes than those registered on April 21, so although it is a figure that comes out of the average, it is not the highest in the history of Álvaro Obregón for an April.
Remember that as we enter the tropical cyclone and rain season, these precipitations will be more and more common, so it is important that with these experiences you complement your Civil Protection Family Planadditionally remember to stay tuned for weather updates through Meteored.