Extremely low temperatures down to -8 degrees Celsius have impacted crops and homes in Cofre de Perote, Veracruz, and Sierra de Guanaceví, Durango. Residents report a harsher-than-usual winter, with losses in agricultural production. Local authorities are preparing supports and prevention campaigns against the intense cold.
In the municipality of Perote, Veracruz, frosts reached -8 degrees Celsius, damaging homes, crops, and the health of residents on the slopes of Cofre de Perote and the adjacent valley. This winter season has arrived early and been harsher than in previous years, according to community reports. Luz María, a producer in the El Conejo community, expressed her concern: “This year the cold has felt stronger; the potatoes freeze and are no longer usable. Everything is lost”.
Municipal authorities in Perote, Coatepec, Ayahualulco, and Las Vigas have begun preparing supports and reinforcing health services, focused on children and the elderly. Civil Protection launched a campaign to prevent the use of braziers inside homes, following the tragedy in Coscomatepec where two minors died from smoke inhalation. Regional health authorities warned: “We must be prepared. This winter may be harsher than usual”.
Gerardo Mata, academic secretary of the Institute of Ecology, emphasized that climate change is already impacting human life and urged municipal authorities to train to face these phenomena.
In Durango, the Sierra de Guanaceví also recorded -8 degrees below zero, the lowest temperature since the start of autumn. Local resident Jorge Reyes, known as El Sembrador on social media, shared: “The thermometer now reads -8 degrees this morning, this is how it dawns in the sierra of Gvi Dgo, very good morning to everyone, blessings”. Social media images showed landscapes covered in frost, with frozen paths and vegetation. On November 4, the thermometer in Durango's capital marked 3.7 degrees, and on November 5 it dawned at 6 degrees, with similar forecasts for the following days.
Meanwhile, families in high areas are reinforcing their homes with tarps and improvised stoves, awaiting agricultural supports and medical attention. Meteorological sources confirm that Cold Front 12 is contributing to these conditions, with minimum temperatures of -5 to 0 degrees in Durango and forecasts of frosts in mountainous regions.