storm at Nuevo Laredo
© ExcelsiorBorder between USA and Mexico closed after an extreme storm destroys custom facilities in Nuevo Laredo (Mexico)

Strong winds, heavy rain shut down World Trade Bridge

A busy commercial truck crossing on the Mexico-United States border was closed yesterday after a severe storm brought strong winds and heavy rain, flipping tractor-trailers on their sides and causing damage to the World Trade Bridge in Nuevo Laredo.

The governments of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Laredo reported that damage from the storm, initially thought to be a tornado, was considerable, knocking down communications antennas and leaving many areas without electricity.

The storm struck about 8:30pm and knocked out power to Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Valle Hermoso and Matamoros, among other locations, delivering gusts of wind of up to 90 kilometers per hour.

At the border crossing, signs and trees were blown over and Mexican Customs facilities sustained severe damages.

The bridge, which carries more than 12,000 cargo vehicles a day between Nuevo Laredo and Laredo, Texas, remained closed this morning until further notice.

Neither fatalities nor injuries were reported as a result of the storm.


There's not much rain or wind in the immediate forecast for Tamaulipas or in the rest of the country, but it will be hot.

An intense heat wave will continue to be felt in 20 states where temperatures could go higher than 40 C. The states are Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, Puebla, Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp), The Associated Press (en)