Hurricane Yakecan brought winds of 100 km/h and great pictures at the resort of Punta del Este, in Uruguay’s Maldonado province, in the east of the country. The wind picked up during the morning and around noon, bringing loads of foam and gushing water ashore. Water came to invade some buildings.
According to the Montevideo portal, the provincial government has confirmed that the affected areas are those that are expected in this type of high wind condition. “There are monitoring teams and they work permanently in these places along the coastal strip, given the information that there will be waves of between five and six meters,” the emergency center in Maldonado reported.
Authorities say they have responded to more than 15 incidents so far, all of which are not serious and there are no injuries. Teams from Uruguayan energy company UTE are working to repair some wires, as winds of around 100 km/h have affected the city’s electricity grid and other municipalities in Maldonado such as La Paloma.
Maximum wind speeds (km/h) as of 12 noon on May 17 at Estaciones Met. at # inomet #Uruguay
98 points del Este
87 Atlantis
81 rock
80 S Joseph
78 Laguna Deal Sauce
76 colonies
74 Medio, Lavallega, Florida
72 La Paloma (Sohma)We will update this information at 3 PM.
– Enomite (MeteorologiaUy) May 17 2022
In Punta del Este, the areas most affected are the boardwalk in front of Los Angeles Beach and the peninsula. Periapolis is also affected. There is a whole team working there, watching and making some blocks so people don’t move through these places to avoid any kind of dangerous situation. The statement said: It is not closed, but indicative signs have been placed on some areas so as not to roam in these places and work on preventive tasks.
🌀 now | Pictures of the coast of Punta del Este are incredible, captured by sea foam brought by strong winds with #tornado #yakikan. pictures from Tweet embed from Tweet embed. https://t.co/yiQNszBqEj
– MetSul.com (@metsul) May 17 2022
now | Sea and wind-generated foam advance over buildings on the edge of Punta del Este, Uruguay. video Tweet embed. #tornado #yakikan https://t.co/Jq9spby0sb
– MetSul.com (@metsul) May 17 2022
‼️ ‼️🇺🇾🌀 # right Now #play at #Punta deleste # Subtropical cyclone #Uruguay pic.twitter.com/tzmnA2cG0b
– Marcelo Ombres (@emekavoces) May 17 2022
‼️ ➡️🌀 # right Now #Punta deleste # Extratropical cyclone This is the Prince district of Ponta in the La Brava region pic.twitter.com/2D71DkLFJH
– Marcelo Ombres (@emekavoces) May 17 2022
🚨🌀➡️🇺🇾 # right Now #ramblabrava #Punta deleste # Extratropical cyclone El viento sopla muy fuerte y la foam ganó casi all la rambla Brava. Lots of precaution. Las ráfagas son muy fuertes for a moment pic.twitter.com/OFN4ANlXGp
– Marcelo Ombres (@emekavoces) May 17 2022
The building is completely filled with foam and water now in Punta del Este!! pic.twitter.com/CSY9vFXWVf
– Mate Medros (@MatiMederosURU) May 17 2022
However, the National Emergency System released a report with the data collected on Tuesday morning. According to SINAE, during the first hours of alert and according to forecasts, there was heavy rain. “Among the Inomet weather stations, in the 24 hours until 7 am today, the maximum rainfall was recorded in La Valleja, Rocha, Canelones and Maldonado,” the agency said.
now | Uruguay’s army helps emergency efforts in the aftermath #tornado #yakikan. https://t.co/ZhJiHm4qsa
– MetSul.com (@metsul) May 17 2022
A 24-year-old man died Monday afternoon in Paso de la Arena after a palm tree fell on the roof of his house due to strong winds. A neighbor explained that he heard the noise and went out to help. “I found other neighbors who were looking for a way to get him out, so his wife ran away and was saved,” he told Montevideo Channel 4:
Southern and eastern Uruguay have been put on orange alert for winds up to 130 km/h by the Uruguay Meteorological Institute. MetSul and Inumet warned that Rocha and Maldonado territories are likely to be the most punished by the wind today. MetSul warns of the danger of a major destructive storm off the coast of Rocha County.
