Early-season snow and freezing temperatures hit Mexico’s Chihuahua

The first snowfall of the season has arrived in Chihuahua, Mexico, on October 27, 2020, accompanied by rains and below-freezing temperatures as low as -8 °C (17.6 °F). According to meteorologists, the phenomenon was unusual for the month of October.

While the Yucatan Peninsula was hit by Hurricane Zeta on Tuesday, Chihuahua was engulfed by the first snowfall of the season, along with rainfall and very low temperatures. Residents in the state posted photos and videos of heavy snow blanketing the roads.

According to Meteorologia Mexico, some areas shivered through temperatures of -2 °C (28.4 °F) and -8 °C (F).

Several activities were canceled or limited due to the heavy snow, rainfall, and cold temperatures, including the training session of a soccer team as a thick layer of snow covered a field in Juarez.

Tiempo Severo Chihuahua noted that the rainfall in Juarez was part of a rare meteorological phenomenon, with below-freezing temperatures atypical for the month of October.

Meanwhile, Las Cruces in New Mexico– which is bordering Chihuahua– measured up to 10 cm (4 inches) on Tuesday, October 27 — its earliest snow on record, according to the National Weather Service.

Featured image credit: Hydrometeorological and Seismological Information of the State of Chihuahua