Merida Living

Mérida Brief: October 2026

This month-in-review, published November 2, covers Hurricane Isaías, the six lakes where Naegleria was found, the end of the summer power tariff, a water plant outage and INEGI's safety survey.

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  1. Hurricane Isaías stayed offshore but closed schools
  2. Naegleria found in six of nine lakes tested
  3. The summer tariff ended and CFE crews moved in
  4. A power failure stopped a water plant; no loan award found
  5. Perceived insecurity at 34%, and a shooting in north Mérida

Hurricane Isaías stayed offshore but closed schools

Yucatán Magazine called Isaías the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season. On October 6, Por Esto noted that Mérida's soil was already saturated by Sunday storms. Schools closed on Thursday, October 8 in 27 municipalities including Mérida, and nine coastal municipalities, including Progreso and Celestún, also closed nonessential businesses. The city readied 68 temporary shelters. Diario de Yucatán, citing the US National Hurricane Center, placed the storm about 280 km from Progreso that morning at Category 1, with winds near 130 km/h. By 3 p.m., Por Esto, citing Procivy, had it at Category 2 with 155 km/h winds, 345 km north of Progreso and moving away. Procivy reported no serious damage on October 8 while inspections continued, and we found no final damage tally. What to keep ready is in the hurricane guide.

Naegleria found in six of nine lakes tested

This is the follow-up to our September Brief. On October 14, state health authorities reported Naegleria in six of nine artificial lakes tested: Plaza La Isla, two at Cabo Norte, Zoológico del Centenario, Gran Parque La Plancha and Parque Ecológico del Poniente. The central Cabo Norte lake, Acuaparque and the Animaya lake tested negative. Water contact was suspended at the six sites, but parks and zoos stayed open. Monitoring of the 361 people tied to Plaza La Isla ended on October 4 with no one symptomatic, and only the one fatal case was detected. Authorities said the amoeba does not spread by drinking water or person to person. Reopening depends on lab confirmation, and we found no reopening notice as of publication. Separately, Diario de Yucatán reported on October 12 that dengue had reached 57 confirmed and 2,101 probable cases through week 39, with no confirmed deaths and six under study. Por Esto listed Mérida on October 8 in the "safety zone", below the alarm and epidemic bands. See the healthcare guide.

The summer tariff ended and CFE crews moved in

Check your next CFE bill. Diario de Yucatán and Uno TV reported that the summer tariff in Yucatán ran through October 31, with off-season consumption ranges from November 1, so the same use may cost more. INEGI's October 22 bulletin differs on timing: it already counted the end of the summer program in Mérida in the first half of October, when electricity rose 18.51% in its national index and Mérida prices rose 1.27%, against 0.41% nationally. Separately, CFE began sending 250 specialists to Mérida, Progreso and Umán, from October 25 to November 25, to repair poles and transformers and prune trees touching lines. The state warned that some work may need brief outages. Our CFE guide explains tariffs, and the cost of living guide has budgets.

A power failure stopped a water plant; no loan award found

Power and water met on October 29, when Japay said a supply failure took the Mérida II treatment plant out of service, warning of low pressure or no water in more than 40 colonias and fraccionamientos. Japay gave no time estimate and said CFE was working on it. On the 1,562 million peso loan covered in our September Brief, we found no published result of the bank award as of publication. On October 30, Por Esto quoted state finance secretary Juan Gabriel Sánchez Álvarez as saying the funds can be contracted in 2026 and 2027, and that the 2027 budget proposal is due at Congress by November 25. Tenders to refinance older debt continued in parallel, with Diario de Yucatán reporting one for 306.9 million pesos and another for 2,947 million on October 16. More on supply is in our water guide.

Perceived insecurity at 34%, and a shooting in north Mérida

INEGI's urban security survey, released October 23, put perceived insecurity in Mérida at 34.0% in September, down from 38.2% in June, a change it did not flag as statistically significant. The national figure was 58.1% and Cancún's 69.8%. Diario de Yucatán added that conflicts reported by adults reached 39.7%, mostly with neighbors. The numbers sit alongside an October 2 shooting in Montes de Amé, where Yucatán Magazine reported that a man Quintana Roo authorities linked to Cancún's drug trade was wounded outside his home. No arrests had been announced in that report. Perception surveys measure how people feel, so read them with our crime statistics and safety guide. The month ended with Hanal Pixán: the mayor said the Festival de las Ánimas drew 58,000 people in its first two days, and the tradition itself is in our Hanal Pixán guide.

Frequently asked questions

Did Hurricane Isaías hit Mérida?

No. Reports from October 8 placed it offshore in the Gulf and moving away from the peninsula. Rain bands reached Mérida and schools closed that Thursday, and Procivy reported no serious damage that day while inspections continued.

Are Mérida's parks closed because of the amoeba?

No. The October 14 restriction applied to water contact at six lakes, and parks and zoos stayed open. Reopening of the water depends on lab confirmation.

When does my CFE bill change?

Local reports said off-season consumption ranges began November 1 in Yucatán, while INEGI recorded the end of the summer program in Mérida during the first half of October. Your bill will show your tariff and billing period. Our CFE guide explains how to read it.

Sources & further reading

  1. Por Esto: Mérida vuelve al riesgo de inundaciones por lluvias y ciclón en el Golfo (Oct 6, 2026)
  2. Yucatán Magazine: Hurricane Isaías: What Mérida Can Expect, and When (Oct 8, 2026)
  3. Diario de Yucatán: El huracán Isaías se aleja de la península (Oct 8, 2026)
  4. Por Esto: Huracán Isaías se intensifica a categoría 2 (Oct 8, 2026)
  5. Por Esto: Reportan saldo blanco en Yucatán tras paso cercano de Isaías (Oct 8, 2026)
  6. Por Esto: Clases suspendidas en municipios de Yucatán por Isaías (Oct 8, 2026)
  7. Diario de Yucatán: Suspenden contacto con agua en seis lagos artificiales (Oct 14, 2026)
  8. El Imparcial: Seis lagos de Mérida dan positivo a Naegleria (Oct 15, 2026)
  9. Por Esto: Descartan más casos; SSY cierra periodo de vigilancia (Oct 6, 2026)
  10. Diario de Yucatán: Otra defunción por probable dengue en Yucatán (Oct 12, 2026)
  11. Por Esto: Yucatán bajo vigilancia: dengue llega a más municipios (Oct 8, 2026)
  12. INEGI: INPC, primera quincena de octubre de 2026 (Oct 22, 2026)
  13. Diario de Yucatán: CFE: termina la tarifa de verano 2026 en Yucatán, Campeche y Quintana Roo (Oct 6, 2026)
  14. Uno TV: Recibos de luz cambiarán en Yucatán a partir del 1 de noviembre (Oct 9, 2026)
  15. Diario de Yucatán: Apagones: CFE y especialistas en Mérida, Progreso y Umán (Oct 26, 2026)
  16. Por Esto: CFE despliega especialistas en Mérida, Progreso y Umán (Oct 26, 2026)
  17. Por Esto: Japay alerta falta de agua en colonias de Mérida (Oct 29, 2026)
  18. Por Esto: Yucatán prevé presupuesto superior al que ejerce (Oct 30, 2026)
  19. Diario de Yucatán: Gobierno de Yucatán busca otro crédito para refinanciar su deuda (Oct 16, 2026)
  20. INEGI: ENSU, reporte de resultados de septiembre de 2026 (Oct 23, 2026)
  21. Diario de Yucatán: Siete de cada 10 meridanos dicen sentirse seguros (Oct 26, 2026)
  22. Yucatán Magazine: Alleged Cancún Crime Boss Shot Outside Mérida Home (Oct 2, 2026)
  23. Diario de Yucatán: Participan 58 mil personas en los primeros días del Festival de las Ánimas (Oct 26, 2026)

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