Rain Snarls Traffic, Postpones Children’s Carnaval

by Maureen Dietrich
14 Feb 15
mazmessenger,com
 

Transit police advised there was no reason to close any streets due to the rain though driving was hazardous.

What was forecasted to be light rain in Mazatlán yesterday became a four hour rainstorm that flooded streets and caught Mazatlecans and Carnaval organizers off guard.

Although transit police advised there was no reason to close any streets due to the rain, the access to Av. Reforma in front of the Gran Plaza Shopping Mall was virtually impassable for vehicles when the road flooded due to a blocked drain leading into the El Camarón lagoon.

Five cars were stranded in high water on the avenue until authorities brought in heavy machinery to open the drain.

Forecasted light rain in Mazatlán yesterday became a four hour rainstorm.

When questioned about the blocked drain yesterday, Mazatlán Mayor Carlos Felton stated the flooding was caused by a contractor working on construction in the area. He expected the drain to be opened and the waters to recede within a few hours and stated the contractor would be charged for the cost of the machinery because “he was totally responsible.”

The Mayor also advised they had spoken to the Profepa delegate yesterday because the flood was the result of the contractor not having filed an environmental impact study.

The unexpected heavy rainfall also forced Cultura to postpone the beginning of the Children´s Carnaval programmed for 4pm yesterday in the Zona Dorada on Las Garzas Street. Cultura stated the event programmed for February 13 to 16 from noon to 7pm will continue despite cancelling its inauguration yesterday afternoon.

Media reported that according to the national meteorological system, scattered rain is expected to continue throughout the weekend until Monday.

(from Noroeste)

Rains Provoke Rock Slides on Mazatlán-Durango Highway

by Maureen Dietrich

11 Sep 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

Recent rains have resulted in several rock slides on the Mazatlán-Durango highway but workers have been on the site almost immediately to clear the debris, media reported today.

Approximately 20 days ago a heavy rain forced the transit department to close a portion of the highway at kilometer 101 in the municipality of El Salto, Durango for several hours while crews removed rock and sand from the road.

Personnel from Canes construction company hired by the department of transport to maintain the highway monitor the road 24 hours a day checking for landslides and repairing potholes. 

(from Noroeste)

Another Hurricane On Deck

The ocean straight below southern Mexico (what I like to call The Cradle Of Storms) has churned out another tropical storm, and it looks good to grow into a hurricane. Early in the summer we had three consecutive storms with westerly tracks straight toward Hawaii. However by mid-summer a new trend started to emerge, and this one's still working hard.

Tropical storm Oldie is having a coming out party off Southern Mexico right now. It should develop into the third leg of back to back to back hurricanes traveling north / northwest along the Pacific coastline. First we had Marie which stayed well offshore the mainland, and mirrored the coastline of Baja while traveling northwest to create giant waves for California.
    
Then came Norbert. Much closer to the mainland, and pushing a ton of rain and large waves to damage properties in Mazatlan. Even more mayhem occurred in Baja, as the storm brushed onto the land. Instead of giant waves, Norbert brought rainfall to California and particularly Nevada. Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City was closed as lanes were swamped and washed out by the torrent.

So what will Oldie bring to Maz and our NOB friends ? More torrential rain ? Huge damaging surf ? Oh nooooo, do we hear ......... :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-sX2Y0W8l0

Turns out this storm is unlikely to bring anything in the way of damaging winds, floods, or huge waves -- for a couple of reasons. Firstly Oldie doesn't look to have a big punch in terms of wind speed. In fact we may just barely get over the threshold to qualify as a hurricane. It also appears the storm track will keep it well offshore of the mainland, and also clear of land for Baja. 

In the end I think we're going to have a mini-replay of Marie: Some excitement to watch, potential spin off rain, and decent sized rollers for surfers to enjoy. However not too much drama and little to no damage thank God ! 

Take a look at the projection here:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_ep5.shtml?gm_track#contents