2025.10.11 – How the Cazones River Fell: The October 2025 Poza Rica Floods, Weather Shifts, and Official Response

Overview

In October 2025, Poza Rica, a city in northern Veracruz, Mexico, faced severe floods after days of relentless rain. This piece examines the verified meteorological data, the drop of the Cazones River after its overflow, and the coordinated actions of authorities and citizens. It combines weather evidence, hydrological reports, and credible local journalism to portray how the city endured and began to recover.

Time Frame and Focus

The information covers the period from 9 to 11 October 2025, focusing on the peak of the floods and the subsequent stabilization of the Cazones River. All times are given in local Veracruz time, with equivalents in Europe/Amsterdam. The latest updates correspond to 11 October 2025 at 15:00 in Veracruz (22:00 in Amsterdam).

Sequence of Events

What Was Happening

Heavy rainfall during the second week of October caused the Cazones River to overflow, flooding several neighborhoods of Poza Rica. Civil Protection issued warnings, urging people not to cross flooded areas. Electricity was temporarily suspended in zones near the river to prevent accidents. Shelters such as Casa del Migrante opened for those forced to leave their homes.

Satellite observations confirmed dense cloud formations moving across the Gulf of Mexico. The combined effect of a tropical disturbance identified as 90E and a low-pressure trough (vaguada) produced high rainfall rates, overwhelming the city’s drainage systems.

Seeing the Storm from Above

Residents and media turned to live satellite platforms to follow the storm’s movement in real time:

• Zoom Earth showed animated satellite images of the storm system over northern Veracruz.
• AccuWeather’s RealVue Satellite provided real-time cloud composites.
• Weather.com offered radar data revealing where rainfall remained intense.
  Public webcams and local social networks streamed scenes of streets turned into rivers.

Weather and Flood Conditions

At 23:26 on 10 October in Poza Rica (06:26 on 11 October in Amsterdam):

• Temperature: 27 °C
• Humidity: 94 %
• Wind: 6 km/h
• Cloud cover: 72 %
  Forecasts warned of continued storms with up to 45 L/m² of rainfall.

According to reports from AP News, Reuters, and Reforma, at least two people died across Veracruz, around 5 000 homes were damaged, and 900 residents were evacuated. Poza Rica was among the most affected municipalities.

Official Hydrological Measurements

By 16:00 on 10 October (23:00 Amsterdam time), CONAGUA (National Water Commission) confirmed that the Cazones River in Poza Rica had fallen to 2.5 m below its Maximum Ordinary Water Level (NAMO). Earlier readings showed peaks near 43.5 m on 9 October, while later data confirmed a gradual descent.

Governor Rocío Nahle announced that water levels in the Cazones basin were “beginning to drop” (translated from Spanish). Despite improvement, several neighborhoods remained waterlogged, and emergency crews continued evacuations and clean-up efforts.

Entities and Their Roles

• Poza Rica, Veracruz – City affected by torrential rain and river overflow.
• Cazones River – Main waterway causing flooding after exceeding safe levels.
• CONAGUA (National Water Commission) – Agency measuring river levels and issuing alerts.
• Civil Protection Veracruz – Coordinated evacuations and shelter operations.
• Rocío Nahle – Governor reporting status updates.
• AP News, Reuters, Reforma, El Universal, La Jornada, AVC Noticias – Verified journalistic sources documenting the crisis.
• Zoom Earth, AccuWeather, Weather.com, YouTube N+ Noticias – Platforms providing live monitoring and imagery.
• Casa del Migrante – Shelter receiving evacuated families.

Insights

By the evening of 11 October 2025, the Cazones River’s level had stabilized. Poza Rica’s rapid local coordination, combined with open data from satellites and hydrological stations, helped reduce further casualties. The event underlined the importance of public access to real-time environmental information when facing sudden tropical floods.

Sources

• https://www.jornada.com.mx/noticia/2025/10/09/estados/lluvias-dejan-severas-inundaciones-y-desbordamiento-de-rios-en-municipios-de-veracruz – National newspaper describing flood impacts (translated from Spanish).
• https://imagendelgolfo.mx/estado/casas-quedan-bajo-el-agua-en-poza-rica-tras-desbordamiento-del-rio-cazones-pasajeros-quedan-varados-20251010-0015.html – Local report on submerged homes and stranded passengers (translated from Spanish).
• https://xeu.mx/estado-de-veracruz/1391348/suspenden-servicio-electrico-en-poza-rica-precaucin – Report on preventive electricity suspension (translated from Spanish).
• https://zoom.earth/places/mexico/poza-rica/ – Real-time satellite imagery and weather layers.
• https://accuweather.com/en/mx/poza-rica-de-hidalgo/236232/satellite/236232 – RealVue Satellite composite of Veracruz.
• https://www.weather.com/weather/radar/interactive/l/20.51%2C-97.43 – Interactive radar showing precipitation intensity.
• https://apnews.com/article/b2cbefbd6e80f3000e12defd77435c73 – Associated Press summary of national flood damage.
• https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/heavy-rains-mexico-leave-more-than-20-dead-2025-10-10/ – Reuters international coverage on heavy rains.
• https://eluniversal.com.mx/estados/amanece-poza-rica-bajo-el-agua-tras-el-desbordamiento-del-rio-cazones-en-veracruz – Early-morning update on flooding (translated from Spanish).
• https://agnveracruz.com/agn/noticas/norte/conagua-reporta-descenso-en-niveles-de-rios-en-el-norte-de-veracruz – Official CONAGUA report confirming river-level descent (translated from Spanish).
• https://facebook.com/rocionahle/posts/1380260356795635 – Governor Rocío Nahle’s public update on river status (translated from Spanish).

Appendix

“Casa del Migrante”

A humanitarian shelter in Poza Rica that housed evacuees during the flood emergency.

“NAMO (Maximum Ordinary Water Level)”

The official hydrological limit used by CONAGUA to mark safe river levels; values above it indicate potential flooding risk.

“Vaguada” (translated from Spanish)

A meteorological term meaning a trough of low pressure that often brings intense tropical rainfall.