Tropical Wave 18 Brings Heavy Rain and 38°C Heat to Cancun

Quintana Roo's State Civil Protection Coordination (COEPROC) reported that tropical wave number 18 was approaching the southern Yucatán Peninsula, prompting a weather bulletin in effect from 6:00 a.m. on July 10 to 6:00 a.m. on July 11. The agency forecast partly cloudy skies with scattered heavy showers accompanied by lightning, with rainfall totals of 25 to 50 millimeters across much of the state, including Cancun.

According to the official bulletin, the system combined with elevated temperatures. For Benito Juárez, the municipality that includes Cancun, COEPROC projected highs of 36 to 38 degrees Celsius and lows of 25 to 27 degrees. The rest of Quintana Roo saw a similar pattern: Isla Mujeres and Lázaro Cárdenas recorded the highest values, 37 to 39 degrees, while Cozumel logged the lowest, between 32 and 34 degrees. Playa del Carmen and Tulum ranged from 34 to 36 degrees, and Felipe Carrillo Puerto from 36 to 38, per the same bulletin.

On wind, COEPROC forecast east-to-southeast flow of 15 to 35 kilometers per hour, with gusts of 40 to 60 km/h mainly along the coast. Wave heights were expected between 1.0 and 2.0 meters off the state's coastline and 3 to 6 feet in the Yucatán Channel. The agency also noted that no active tropical cyclones were present in the Caribbean Sea at the time.

Given the combination of heat and rain, COEPROC advised residents to stay constantly and abundantly hydrated, avoid intense physical activity under the sun, wear light-colored clothing, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and take extra precautions for fog banks in the early morning and at night. For anyone planning activities at sea, the agency asked that they check with the Port Captain's Office (Capitanías de Puerto) beforehand and maintain added caution while boating or swimming.

For Cancun, the advisory carried a two-fold risk: heat above 36 degrees raises the chances of dehydration and heatstroke among outdoor workers and tourists, while the heavy, lightning-laden showers typical of the tropical-wave season that crosses the Caribbean from June through November can cause rapid street flooding in low-lying areas and disrupt water activities and ferry crossings to the islands. COEPROC noted that its bulletins are updated daily and recommended following its official channels, including coeproc.qroo.gob.mx, as the tropical wave continued moving across the peninsula.