Millions in Mexico Left Without Power as Deadly Winter Storm Triggers Nationwide Grid Collapse
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — A rare and severe winter storm has left millions of residents across northern and central Mexico without electrical power, as authorities confirm at least 12 fatalities and widespread infrastructure damage in what is now being called the most disruptive weather event in the country in over a decade.
WHAT: A massive power outage, triggered by a historic winter storm, has plunged an estimated 8 million households and businesses into darkness. The storm, which brought record-low temperatures, heavy snowfall, and high winds, caused multiple transmission line failures and substation shutdowns across the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Zacatecas.
WHO: The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the National Meteorological Service are leading the response, alongside military personnel deployed to 14 municipalities. President Claudia Sheinbaum has declared the regions a disaster zone, urging citizens to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary travel. Emergency shelters have been set up for an estimated 250,000 displaced residents.
WHEN: The storm began late Monday evening, with the grid failure peaking early Tuesday morning. As of Wednesday local time, power has been restored to only 15 percent of affected areas, with full restoration expected to take at least four more days, according to CFE officials.
WHERE: The most severe impacts are concentrated in Mexico’s northern industrial corridor, including the major cities of Monterrey, Chihuahua City, and Saltillo. However, rolling blackouts have also been recorded in parts of Mexico City and the state of Mexico, as the national grid struggles to stabilize.
WHY: Meteorologists attribute the extreme event to an unusual collision of Arctic air masses with the Sierra Madre mountain range, a phenomenon known as a "Norte" storm, intensified by the effects of the current El Niño cycle. The brittle and aging transmission infrastructure in these northern states was ill-equipped to handle