Light rain doused the entirety of Jalisco and neighboring states Wednesday, with weather experts forecasting the damp conditions prolonging through Saturday at least.
The unusual weather for early May was caused by a band of low pressure in the Pacific Ocean that at one point threatened to develop into a tropical storm.
Waves some two to four meters high, plus winds of up to 60 kilometers an hour were reported on the Guerrero coastline, while sun seekers at Jalisco and Nayarit coastal resorts were disappointed.
Universidad de Guadalajara weather expert Angel Meulenert Peña called the rains “atypical” and certainly a result of “El Niño,” the periodic fluctuation in sea surface temperature that occurs every three or four years off the Pacific coast of South America.
The unexpected rains brought problems for drivers in Guadalajara, with an increase in accidents reported on the slippery surfaces, including a nine-vehicle pile up on Avenida Lazaro Cardenas.
Although the “cyclone season” officially begins on May 15 and runs through November 30, the actual temporada de lluvias (rainy season) in western Mexico doesn’t usually kick off in earnest until mid-June.
In preparation for the coming rains, municipal workers have been busy fixing potholes and cleaning the network of canals that span the metro area. Neighbors living near the disused canal that runs along Avenida Patria in Colonia Lomas de Atemajac are especially concerned that the perennial flooding they experience will one day bring fatal consequences. Instead of simply cleaning the open-air canal each year, it is time for the council to fix the canal to prevent the flooding, neighbors say.