2025: Mexico City’s Wettest Year in Over Four Decades
Mexico City, May 7, 2026 – The year 2025 marked a significant meteorological event for Mexico City, registering as the wettest year in the last 42 years. According to Gabriel Araiza Olivares from the Secretariat of Comprehensive Risk Management and Civil Protection (SGIRPC), the city recorded an average of 991 millimeters of precipitation during the rainy season, a substantial 48 percent increase compared to the historical average of 743 millimeters since 1982.
Disparity in Rainfall and Flood Impact Across the City
Despite the western parts of Mexico City experiencing the highest precipitation values, with some areas accumulating up to 1,300 millimeters, the eastern zones bore the brunt of flood-related damages. These areas, which received nearly 500 millimeters of rain, suffered the most significant impact due to higher social vulnerability. Alcaldías such as Gustavo Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Iztacalco, Iztapalapa, Tláhuac, and Xochimilco were identified as having the highest vulnerability indices in the 2020 map on the subject.
Araiza Olivares noted a paradox: “There is a contrast because areas in the south, east, and to a lesser extent, the center, despite having more reports of intense rains, do not have as many reports of floods. This is due to situations of greater infrastructure and faster response times from authorities to address eventualities.”
Hydric Paradox: From Drought to Deluge
During the ‘Climatic Perspectives in the Mexican Republic’ event, organized by the National Meteorological Service (SMN) and the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Araiza Olivares highlighted Mexico City’s “hydric paradox.” The city transitioned from a prolonged period of drought to widespread flooding. This shift was attributed to both climatic conditions, such as the El Niño phenomenon, and human activities. Factors like land-use changes, unplanned urbanization, and deforestation contributed to the depletion of water basins, including the Cutzamala System, which supplies the Valley of Mexico and saw its storage capacity drop to 26 percent in June 2024.
In stark contrast to the earlier drought, the Cutzamala System reached its highest storage capacity of 97.40 percent in October 2025, underscoring the dramatic turnaround in water levels.
Alerts and Community Preparedness
The previous rainy season saw the activation of a purple alert on eight occasions between June 17 and September 27. Four of these alerts were initially declared at the highest intensity, while the other four escalated from orange to purple. To mitigate the damages caused by heavy rainfall, Araiza Olivares emphasized the need for community training. This training would equip residents to manage risks like heavy rains and floods, reducing reliance solely on authorities, whose response can often be insufficient given the city’s vast size.
Ongoing Efforts and Future Outlook
The record rainfall in 2025 underscores the growing challenges Mexico City faces due to climate change and urban development. Authorities continue to work on improving infrastructure and emergency response mechanisms. The emphasis on community involvement and preparedness is a crucial step towards building resilience in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. The data from 2025 serves as a stark reminder of the importance of sustainable urban planning and effective risk management strategies for the future of Mexico City.
The city’s experience in 2025 highlights the complex interplay between environmental factors and urban vulnerabilities, making it imperative for a multi-faceted approach to address both immediate and long-term challenges related to water management and disaster preparedness.
Source: https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2026/05/07/capital/2025-fue-el-ano-mas-lluvioso-en-la-cdmx-en-los-ultimos-42-anos
