Information is circulating on social media about the “black storm”—an intense weather phenomenon that could bring heavy rains across the country for at least 72 hours—but how much truth is there to it?
According to Mexico’s Digital Platform for Alerting and Comprehensive Risk Management (SASSLA Clima), the terms “black rain” or “black storm” originate from the Hong Kong Observatory’s warning system (specifically, the “Black Rainstorm Warning”).
In this regard, the Mexico City government, together with the Secretariat for Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (SGIRPC), operates a “Meteorological Early Warning Network” that issues daily alerts regarding weather phenomena and their intensity.
The scale uses the colors green, yellow, orange, red, and purple—with purple representing the highest intensity. Consequently, a “black storm” would correspond to a purple alert.
The purpose of the early warning system is to prevent disasters through surveillance, monitoring, and the implementation of response or contingency plans for the public prior to the occurrence of severe weather events.
For this reason, SASSLA Clima emphasized that using the term “black storm” in forecasts for the country is merely sensationalism intended to incite panic and drive social media engagement.
It stressed that the weather currently being recorded across the country consists of typical summer rains caused by tropical waves and atmospheric instability.
When encountering weather-related information of questionable credibility, it is recommended to consult official institutions such as the Secretariat for Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (SGIRPC).
Source: eluniversal
