Thursday, March 10, 2016

Dear friends:  

After almost 48 hours now of terrible wind blows, rain and later intensive sleet, calm seems to come back now (8 pm). 

The day before yesterday afternoon, (Tuesday afternoon, March 8th), after visiting Sanctuary Sierra Chincua, the sky became dark and dense black clouds and fog pended upon  Angangueo and the surrounding mountains;  the night came and after midnight intense wind blows and rain came all over our region as far as towns located 30-40 kilometers around.  Power went off, phone communication and internet connection as well.  

By 2 a.m Wednesday, March 9th, we all people in town were all very nervous, ambulances and first aid assistance entities' cars were patrolling the town.  By 6-7-8 a.m., many roofs of houses, specially those roofed with light panels had blown away in both downtown Angangueo, surroundings and nearby communities.

Around 14 hrs a sanctuary guide coming down to town from Sierra Chincua announced snow up there.  Up Conservationist Diane Pruden from Monarch Watch and I drove.  On arriving to "Llano de las Papas", a big Oyamel tree had just fallen down across the road and it was not anymore possible to pass through, not even walking. It was wise to leave the site at once, since the wind was too intense and some other trees were cracking. We left the place. Some roofs of houses have been blown away.

From 6 p.m. to almost 12 p.m (still Wednesday March 9th) wind calmed down and we felt relieved.  Minutes later, it came worse than the night before. Similar intense winds, rain and hail storms came uninterrupted until almost 3 a.m. (Thursday March 10 already).  Amidst the total dark, there was nothing to do, but keep quiet and in the safest place of our houses.  After 3 am. the wind intensity diminished at least, although the rain and sleet continued.  It was a very long night.  Civil Protection Patrols, both local and state level patrolled the region.  Angangueo, as far as we know by official sources, is, perhaps among other few locations throughout our country, under warning status the 365 days a year after the floods in 2010 for disaster official entities. Perhaps by this time in the night, some people pErhaps was deciding to leave the town lest we would experience something similar to the events in 2010.   I would not be able to calculate the speed of winds, but today (March 10th), early morning we knew more roofs were blown and concrete power piles fell down. Rain and hail stopped by 7 - 6 a.m.  

By noon time today (March 10th), Pruden and I decided to drive up to El Rosario, hoping we could access the Sanctuary to get a first impression of the state of the Colony. Impossible to go up through Angangueo. Too high a carpet of sleet on the road for normal autos or simple trucks. So we tried through Ocampo town to take the road there up to the Sanctuary El Rosario.

As we reached "El Asoleadero", the community just before reaching the main parking area for buses in El Rosario, the landscape was impressive. The rest of photos were taken there and around the parking area for buses some hundredths of meters reaching the main entrance to the Sanctuary.  

A storm of very light sleet came with some wind, the sky darkened again with some more wind, and we decided it was not safe to try to go into the Sanctuary anymore.  We decided to drive back to Angangueo.  

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE FACTS:

* Sleet-hail balls measured around 0.5 cm to 0.75 cm at the most, never bigger.

* The Sleet carpet in Angangueo downtown measured average 4-5 cm. high.  The carpet up at the last houses of Angangueo towards the Sanctuaries reached from around 6 cm. but near the Sanctuaries, up to 10 cm. 

* Since winds started Tuesday, March 8 in late afternoon-evening up today, they mostly blow from the south and west direction. Specially during the most intense speeds.

* Once we reached the surroundings of El Rosario Sanctuary (13 hrs. today, Thursday 10 March), it could be observed that the Canopy alongside the road, covered with sleet, was starting to frost

Conservationist Pruden left Angangueo today, one day later than planned. Soon after she left with dark clouds  over the town, the sky started to "open" and by 16 hrs. today up to 7 p.m., the sunshine came melting most of the thick sleet carpet on roofs of houses all around.  The worst of the wind was past.  Cold, gentle wind blows now, a few tiny clouds are seen scattered around away from each other in the sky right now.  

It is now 29 years when I remember having seen snow coming down to town. I was 18 years old, and me and my group of colleagues ending our third and last year of high school, stayed up over the whole night finishing a project on mining to graduate ourselves as Techincs in mining. (our specialty in high school in town). It was for my generation totally normal to experience it, since we got snow every single year since I was a little child. Every single winter, all families in town awaited for the great day for snow covering our mountains and even our town, to go up to "Llano de las Papas" Some historical photos from that day can still be seen at some hotels, restaurant and significants sites in town.  

Since then, for the next two generations, this is the first time in their lives they see  the town and our mountains dressing white after 29 years today, and although most people think this has been snow, because they simply do not know what real snow is, they all enjoyed to tears.  Many people came from neighbouring towns and small cities to enjoy the majestic spectacle as it was 29 years ago today.

Estela Romero
Journey North Correspondent
Angangueo, Michoacán, México
March 10, 2016