Presa El Pedregal

Presa El Pedregal is up highway 80 near Lazaro Cardenas and was built to better control flooding downstream, mainly in Melaque. When I was there a few years ago I don't remember the lake being that large. The water level may have been a lot lower but it sounds like that may not all be water. Last summer local residents reminded the Municipality that the lake had never been dredged. I hope this is not another "build it and abandon it" project so common in Mexico. 

Melaque under water

What else can happen after a hurricane and now flooding. It's rained hard all evening and still more this morning. I measure 7" in my empty pool. Just heard a large thunder clap so it's not close to being over. This on top of people that lost their roofs.

The Rio Marabasco has overflowed and flooded some communities. Highway 200 to Manzanillo is not passable in a number of places and I wouldn't doubt it if the airport is closed. I'm definitely not driving the kids to school today

No one on the beach

This was a 3 day weekend with Monday being the birthday of Benito Juarez but the weather chased everyone away. Over 10 inches of rain in two days and it's raining hard again this morning. Flooding in many places and dangerous driving conditions. Today is St. Patrick's Day and the last day of the 9 day Fiesta San Patricio is famous for. Sadly the rain not only cased physical damage but also economic damage to the area.

Beach front restaurant

Walking the beach bundled up

How about this weather

Snow and hail all over central Mexico and people complaining about the cold. That was from a front coming down from up north but the moisture sure could be the El Niño effect. This current Pacific system certainly is a result of El Niño. Word is most of this will be south of us but we will surely get some rain and our country side will never turn brown this year

A system developing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean will stretch rain into Mexico threatening flooding for this weekend.

Following a front moving from north to south across the country for the end of the week, a low pressure will develop off the Pacific Mexican coasts of Colima and Michoacan de Ocampo. This moisture steers inland just in time for the weekend.

AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Rob Miller said he expects the heaviest rain to start on Saturday and extend into Monday.

Heavy Rain in Mexico This Weekend Raises Flooding Concerns

Worse than it looks from here

I know we got wet here in Melaque the last few days. Just try driving around and you'll see right away. What I didn't realize was "the river" overflowed and isolated 2 communities along with flooding banana plantations. All the huge river containment work done since Jova has been upstream and alongside Cihuatlan but further along the river banks are normal. 

El Rebalse on the Jalisco side and El Centinela on the Colima side are two small communities way down stream from Cihuatlan and basically unprotected. It's not like this doesn't happen a few times a year but it's usually when a large storm comes up the coast.   Both of these are very small communities of maybe 20-30 homes and I'm not sure Centinela even has a town square

El Centinela road

El Rebalse road

Probably near El Rebalse

Rio Marabasco

Tail end of Tropical Storm Manuel

We thought we had escaped the fury of Tropical Storm Manuel Sunday with almost no wind and very little rain. That was until about 10-11 last night when the heavy rain started. It rained all night and is still raining heavily off and on. The secondary school is closed and Protección Civil is warning people of possible flooding. Manuel is now Invest-91 well north of here. Below are a few photos by Dr. Roberto Pimienta Woo of the Canal on the west end this morning.

Invest-91 -- Once Manuel

Canal photo

Canal photo

Another of Melaque Centro