The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), Fernando López, reported this afternoon, during a conference on the 2023 rainy season, that more rains are expected for the next few hours, similar to what was recorded last night in various parts of the country.
“We are in the transition from the rainy season, as we saw yesterday we have had an increase in temperatures and also the presence of rain,” the minister explained.
According to the report, from 7:00 a.m. yesterday to 7:00 a.m. today, the rain fell more in the center of the country.
“We had rainfall of up to 77.6 millimeters of rain in Chalatenango,” added the official. The maximum intensity of rain registered yesterday was 2 millimeters per minute.
The area most affected by the heavy rain was the northern area of San Salvador. “There were 20 minutes of heavy rain, we had hail fall in the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, Cabañas and Usulután,” López commented.
Last night’s storm is a phenomenon that usually happens at the beginning of the rainy season. The official details that the country is in the transition to the El Niño phenomenon.
The Ministry of the Environment points out that this week there will be rain in the afternoon. Thunderstorms are forecast today and tomorrow.
Before the arrival of the rainy season, the minister recommends not throwing garbage in unauthorized places, to avoid flooding. In addition, be alert to the weather forecasts provided by the institution.
“We invite you to keep an eye on the weather forecast and find out through our social networks, where we update by specific areas where we can have these effects,” López added.
On the other hand, the official explained that the hurricane season in the Atlantic begins on May 1st. At the moment, they forecast 12 named cyclonic events in the Atlantic Ocean and 17 in the Pacific Ocean.
“The temperature of the Pacific Ocean increases and that means that the Southern Hemisphere is having more rain and we would be having less rain,” he said.
Given this, the authorities predict a heat wave in the period that normally occurs, in the second half of July and early August, which means a significant decrease in rainfall.
“The average rainfall we had last year, at the national level, was 2,300 millimeters. This year between 10% and 20% less rain is forecast, compared to the annual average”, he pointed out.