Baja Weather

Hurricane Norbert
Norbert has strengthened into the seventh hurricane of the Eastern Pacific season as of 2 a.m. PDT Tuesday. Norbert’s top winds were estimated to be near 75 mph and was located about 585 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and is moving to the west-northwest near 8 miles per hour, and this general motion is expected to continue over the next couple of days. Norbert could move toward Baja California later in the week or over the weekend, so interests there should monitor the progress of the system. Check out Norbert’s projected path.

At 800 am PDT the center of Tropical Storm Lowell was located near latitude 17.2 north…longitude 108.1 west or about 280 miles - equals 450 km - west-southwest of Manzanillo Mexico and about 410 miles - equals 660 km - south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California.

Lowell is moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph - equals - 19 km/hr and this general motion is expected for the next day or so. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph…75 km/hr…with higher gusts. Some slow strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles…95 km from the center.

Tropical storm Julio is spinning just off the tip of Baja California. No reports yet from Cabo San Lucas, but the port is surely closed, and the town is bracing for Julio’s landfall, expected later today. Local fleets are busy relocating their charter boats and making all necessary preparations for their personal families and properties. Farther up the peninsula, in the East Cape region, one resort sportfishing fleet is scrambling to pull boats, while others have already done so. Buena Vista resident Mark Rayor said he watched as a crew tried in vain to pull a rain-filled 28-foot cruiser out on a trailer. “They can’t bail it because waves keep coming over the transom,” Rayor said as the drama was unfolding. Rayor then added that visibility went to “zero” because of rain. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center had extended its storm warning, which is as follows:

“The government of Mexico has extended the tropical storm warning northward along the west coast of Baja California to Punta Abreojos … and northward along the east coast to Mulege. A tropical storm warning is now in effect from Punta Abreojos on the west coast around the peninsula and northward to Mulege on the east coast. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24 hours.”

Eastern Pacific Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook