US Embassy Warns of El Niño Floods in Seven Pacific Mexican States
The US Embassy in Mexico issued an El Niño weather alert for seven Pacific states as cold front No. 6 brings rain, sleet and 60 km/h gusts northwest.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has issued a weather alert over the possible effects of El Niño this winter, warning of heavy rain, flooding and landslides in seven states on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Publimetro México reported. The states named are Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit.
The warning came as the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN, Mexico’s national weather service) said on Saturday, Nov. 14, that cold front No. 6 was moving into the country’s northwest, bringing rain and strong wind.
What the State Department warned about
The alert was issued through the U.S. Department of State, which urged extra caution in the seven states, where periods of heavy rainfall could occur. According to the embassy, El Niño can change rain and storm patterns along the Pacific coast.
The hazards listed in the alert include:
- flooding in low-lying areas
- road closures
- power outages
- falling rocks and landslides
- damage to infrastructure
- temporary contamination of water at beaches
- dangerous ocean currents during and after storms
The embassy also noted that Baja California’s rainy season runs from November to April. U.S. officials told people to check weather advisories and follow instructions from Protección Civil (Mexico’s civil protection agency) to lower the risk in an emergency.
Cold front No. 6 brings rain and possible sleet
The SMN said the new cold front will cause heavy rain in northern Baja California, with a chance of sleet in mountain areas. Showers are also expected in Sonora and Chihuahua.
Wind gusts of up to 60 kilometers per hour are forecast for those states and for Baja California Sur, according to the weather service. Separately, cold front No. 5 is still producing rain in Mexico’s southeast.
Three states appear in both warnings: Baja California, Baja California Sur and Sonora. Chihuahua is covered by the SMN forecast for the cold front but is not on the embassy’s El Niño list. Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa are on the embassy’s list, though the SMN did not include them in its outlook for cold front No. 6.
What it means for residents and travelers
Mexico City is not among the states named in the alert. The warning matters most for people who live in the Pacific states or plan to travel there this winter, including beach destinations in Baja California Sur, Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Colima. The embassy’s list of risks covers road travel, electricity and water quality at beaches, all of which affect trips to the coast.
The alert itself does not set specific dates for storms; it covers the winter season, while the SMN forecast for cold front No. 6 applies to the coming days in the northwest.
The embassy pointed readers to official weather advisories and to Protección Civil instructions as the sources to follow if storms hit.
Source: Publimetro México
