Scene on the Durango-Mazatlán highway this morning.LA RAZÓN
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Winter continues: rain, hail, snow, high winds
Durango-Mazatlán freeway closed this morning due to snow
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Stormy weather continued in various regions of the country over the weekend, delivering more snow, heavy rains, hail and high winds.
Snow is still falling in some higher regions as cold front No. 41, moving southward, meets up with a front from the Pacific Ocean.
Civil Protection authorities in Durango this morning closed a section of the Durango-Mazatlán freeway due to snow, between kilometer 44 and 230, but it was reopened again shortly after noon.
The closure affected the free highway as well, between Salto and Coscomate, the highways agency Capufe advised via its Twitter account.
Drivers were advised to use extreme caution in the area. One vehicle accident has been reported, said public security officials in Durango. Snow also closed the Mexico City-Puebla freeway for nine hours on Friday.
The weather systems have brought heavy rains in various parts of the country, but perhaps the heaviest have been seen in Michoacán, particularly in the capital city, Morelia, where the Grande and Chiquito rivers were overflowing.
The armed forces were called in under what is called Plan DN-III to provide protection and assistance to citizens.
Dozens of families in 32 neighborhoods were grabbing personal belongings and fleeing yesterday to shelters as homes were flooded with water up to 70 centimeters deep.
Also affected was Apatzingán, where heavy rains, strong winds and hailstorms tore off roofs and downed trees and utility poles. Floodwaters up to 50 centimeters deep were reported on the city’s main streets.
This morning, Gov. Salvador Jara reported that at least 800 homes have been damaged and 1,500 people affected by the three days of rain in Morelia and Zamora. At least half the state’s 113 municipalities have reported damages.
In Guerrero, 146 homes saw their roofs damaged by wind, rain and hail yesterday in the municipalities of Atoyac and Benito Juárez, in the Costa Grande region.
Civil Protection authorities warn that more rain is coming over the next 72 hours in Costa Grande, Tierra Caliente and part of the central zone of the state, raising concerns over rivers overflowing their banks.
The inclement weather has also brought cooler temperatures. Arizpe, in the northern part of the state of Sonora, was the coldest place in the country yesterday at 1 C, reported the national water commission, Conagua.
Heavy rains are being forecast for today in Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Tamaulipas, and strong rains in Nayarit, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Veracruz.
