# Floods in Mazatlan?



## douglowell (Feb 24, 2008)

Hi, future friends in Mazatlan,

I have been in love with everything I know about Centro Historico in Mazatlan without having been there yet, and am taking my wife down for a research visit soon, but I stumbled upon some startling photos of flooding.

I also found an article saying the government had pledged a big expansion of the capacity of the runoff drains and sewers to prevent such flooding in the future.

How bad is it when the Centro floods? How often does it get into houses? Or does it tend to just be the streets that flood? Would I be crazy not to be looking at higher ground? 

Thank you in advance for your insights,

Doug in Portland


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## trekmanone (Sep 13, 2020)

douglowell said:


> Hi, future friends in Mazatlan,
> 
> I have been in love with everything I know about Centro Historico in Mazatlan without having been there yet, and am taking my wife down for a research visit soon, but I stumbled upon some startling photos of flooding.
> 
> ...


I have lived permanently in Mazatlan now for 4 years. Yes Centro floods as well as many other key spots around the city. Remember, Mazatlan is like 4-5 feet above sea level so the draining into the sea is very slow. There is a "bowl" in Centro that floods everytime. Look for elevations at least 10-15 feet high.
I have not heard of this capacity expansion???
If a big storm hits MZT, yes Centro will flood and could be up to 4-5 feet high in the streets and yes, into the houses. Vary's from year to year. This year has been very quiet with rain. Previous 3 years, much flooding.
The advice to do a short-term rental or Airbnb is a good one. In many cases, you can see the water line on the streets and houses. Mazatlan's real estate has boomed since the international tourism conference 3 years ago. Lots of condo buildings being built. Covid-19 just changed the market from a Seller's market back to a Buyers market.


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