One
of the more dangerous aspects remaining on Hwy 1 down the Baja is the threat
of flooding.
Often,
when in rains in Baja it really rains, to the tune of 4" to 7" per
hour. Hurricanes have provided an even more intense rainfall. When this
occurs the vados, or dry river beads can flood very quickly with a high
volume of water. Sweeping cars and trees before it these flash floods can
claim lives.
The
truly dangerous part of this is you may have blue sky above you as a vado
floods in front of you. Always keep an eye on the higher ground, the hills
and mountains around you. Rain falling 20 miles away in such huge amounts as
to cause flooding is usually apparent as very dark clouds clung to higher
elevations.
NEVER
try to be the first one across a flooded vado. The hwy. truck & bus
drivers know these roads well and are far heavier than you. Let them try
first, whole semi-trucks have been seen to drift sideways in the rush of
current. Busses will disembark all passengers, have them claim their luggage
and return to the bus. They then open the cargo area doors and drive through
the torrent. The open doors reduce drag and keeps the bus from being swept
down stream. If you are towing a trailer, forget it! these torrents rarely
last long, sometimes a few hours.
Carry
food and water to allow you to survive a few days in your car. Sometimes
flash floods can make an "island" out of the segment of road you
are on preventing you from going forward or back. It is more rare now, as
some of the most dangerous vados have been bridged. Always note if you have
on-coming traffic, particularly trucks & buses. There is enough heavy
trans-peninsular traffic when you don't see it, you notice. This can mean
the road is blocked ahead of you. If you are in an isolated location you may
want to consider turning around and retreating to the nearest shelter.
Watch
for quantities of debris and rocks in the road. During the rains the geology
of Baja Sur can be soft and susceptible to movement. Rock slides and cut
passes should be expected. Culverts can fill and cause the road bed to erode
very quickly. Huge car eating sink holes can develop in just a few minutes
Foul
weather is usually short lived in Baja and storm systems move very quickly.
So if you are impounded by bad weather, relax and enjoy the moment. We get
so few bad weather days in Baja!
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