Cold Wave Blamed for Two Deaths in Guatemala

[adam7117]

Not sure how many of you have heard of RSOE EDIS (i.e., Emergency and Disaster Information Service operated by the Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress-Signalling and Infocommunications). They publish real-time emergency events across the globe which is quite interesting. There is a website with a map - as well as an Android app.

Map:
_http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php

Here's what came through this afternoon Oz time.

Cold Wave in Guatemala on Tuesday, 11 December, 2012 at 06:13 (06:13 AM) UTC

A sharp drop in temperatures has caused two deaths in the western Guatemalan province of Quetzaltenango, first responders said Monday. Oscar de Jesus Elias was found dead of hypothermia on a street outside the town of Olintepeque, fire rescue said.

The other fatality, identified only as a homeless woman, was discovered in Quetzaltenango city. Parts of western Guatemala experienced temperatures as low as minus 7 C (19 F), the National Institute of Meteorology said, while many residents woke up Monday to find frost on their homes and vehicles.

Guatemalan weather forecasters predict the country will be affected by at least a dozen cold fronts between now and the end of next March. The Conred emergency response agency announced that it has established shelters to provide homeless people with a refuge from the cold. More than 500 people have flocked to the shelters over the last few days, Conred said Monday.

I managed to find a copy of the article here:
_http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=655535&CategoryId=23558

Who knew it can get this cold in Guatemala?

 

[Laura]

If Guatemala gets a "cold wave" it has to come down from the north, right? And if it does, it has to affect those areas north of it, right? So there should be "cold wave" things going on elsewhere.

If not, then it is a cold "plop" on a spot and that means we got problems.

 

[Persej]

Who knew it can get this cold in Guatemala?

Well, they are pretty elevated cities:

Olintepeque - 2,350
Quetzaltenango - 2,330 m

The average temperature in the department of Quetzaltenango varies between 15 and 24 °C (59 and 75 °F), however there is wide variation due to the great difference in altitude in various parts of the department. On the lower Pacific slopes the temperature can reach as high as 35 °C (95 °F), while temperatures as low as −7 °C (19 °F) have been recorded at higher altitudes.

_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzaltenango_Department