Mexico has issued a tropical storm watch for much of Baja California Sur, including Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, as Hurricane Blanca takes aim at the peninsula.
As of 2 p.m. Pacific daylight time, Blanca was 550 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, and traveling very slowly toward the northwest. The storm boasted maximum sustained winds of 90 mph.
Swifter movement was expected over the next 24 hours and Blanca is expected to remain at hurricane strength (74-mph winds) into early Sunday, when it will be much closer to Baja’s tip.
The storm center is not predicted to score a direct hit on Cabo San Lucas, according to most computer models. Instead, it will weaken to a tropical storm before skirting Cabo San Lucas, and perhaps to a tropical depression before coming ashore in the Magdalena Bay area on the Pacific side of the peninsula.
But that's only a prediction. After the damage inflicted by Hurricane Odile last September, many in Cabo San Lucas are acting as though the storm is going to come much closer than the computer models suggest.
"So far it's totally calm, but we are going to pull our boats out tomorrow anyway," Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing," stated Friday afternoon via email. "The docks still have damage from Odile so better safe than sorry. It's a huge hassle but I want our guys to be able to sleep safely and stay with their families."
Ehrenberg added, "The water temp in the Sea of Cortez is high, so matter what they say, the
hurricane could get sucked in there."
But heavy rain, strong winds, and powerful storm surges are likely throughout portions of the state. The port captain in Cabo San Lucas closed the marina at 3 p.m. Friday; it probably will remain closed at least through Monday.
On a side note, elections are scheduled Sunday for major offices in Baja California Sur, including state governor, and the storm is likely to affect voter turnout.
–Graphic via AccuWeather.com; satellite photo via NASAOAA
