After weeks of suffocating heat, Guadalajara has finally received a dramatic change in weather. Heavy rains that began on the evening of Sunday, May 31, signaled the imminent arrival of the rainy season, bringing a long-awaited drop in temperatures that continued through this week.
However, the first major storm of the season also exposed the metropolitan area’s vulnerability just ten days before the city hosts its first 2026 World Cup match at the Akron Stadium.
Flooding, traffic jams
Authorities counted 39 fallen trees in Sunday’s storm, including a 20-meter tree that crashed onto three parked cars in the Beatriz Hernández neighborhood, injuring a 17-year-old. The tunnel near the old “La Moderna” cigarette factory on the road to Tepic — a key access route to the Akron Stadium — flooded, causing severe congestion from La Primavera to the Periférico.
Major flooding was reported at several intersections in Guadalajara, including Arcos and Niños Héroes (up to 60 cms), Inglaterra and Lope de Vega (50 cms) and Washington and 8 de Julio (30 cms). The flood-prone Patria-Acueducto drainage channel reached 90 percent of its capacity, while water entered homes in the Loma Bonita Sur, Agrícola and La Magdalena neighborhoods. The Galerias shopping mall on Avenida Rafael Sanzio in Zapopan also suffered leaks and flooding.
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