High winds that blasted lakeside in the early hours of Thursday, January 2, left a trail of damage in their wake.
The powerful pre-dawn gusts churned up waves in the lake, propelling a number of tourist boats anchored near the Chapala pier onto rocky outcroppings and into one another with great force. Boat operators reported severe damage to seven vessels, ranging from structural imparement and the total loss of outboard motors. Several others vessels capsized and ended up filled with water hyacinths washed in by the waves.
Agitated lake waters also swept over the shoreline, pushing heaps of aquatic weeds over the seawall into the Parque de la Milagrosa, spanning the curves at the city’s western outskirts.
The wind also blew through the heart of downtown, tumbling over the life-size Nativity figures displayed in the median strip opposite City Hall. The Christmas scenery was immediately dismantled, well ahead of the date it would normally be placed into storage until next December.