Regions of Sonora and Durango were blanketed in white yesterday with the first snowfalls of the year. In Sonora, it snowed in the municipality of Agua Prieta, and the local Ministry of Education and Culture (SEC) implemented a preventative measure, delaying the start of classes by one hour in 15 mountain municipalities yesterday and today. In Durango, communities in the highlands of Guanaceví, including La Rosilla, known as “Mexico’s Freezer,” were covered in snow.
Cold front number 15, along with the forecast of rain, wind, and freezing temperatures in the Sonoran mountains, prompted the SEC to delay the start of classes by one hour at elementary schools in Arivechi, Arizpe, Bacadéhuachi, Bacerac, Bacoachi, Bavispe, Cananea, Fronteras, Huachinera, Ímuris, Nácori Chico, Nogales, Sahuaripa, Santa Cruz, and Yécora. In this way, the agency seeks to reduce students’ exposure to extreme cold during their commutes.
For now, for the first time this season, the stretch of highway connecting Agua Prieta—on the border between Mexico and the United States—with Esqueda, a town in the Sonoran municipality of Fronteras, was covered in ice.
A layer of ice blanketed the pavement, forcing drivers to slow down or even stop due to the high risk of skidding, particularly on slopes and curves.
Meanwhile, Víctor Hugo Randeles, head of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department of the National Water Commission in Durango, reported that due to cold front number 15, temperatures reached -0.5 degrees Celsius in the community of Navíos, in the city of Durango, and in Sardinas, in the municipality of San Bernardo, although no snow or sleet was reported. Temperatures reached 3 degrees Celsius in Ocampo and Hidalgo.
Meanwhile, the Chihuahua State Civil Protection Coordination issued a preventive alert due to the drop in temperatures expected for Thursday night and Friday morning, particularly in mountainous areas bordering the state of Sonora.
Source: jornada
