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September Storms

November Storms

Our look at hurricanes has been focused on Baja Sur, where the storms are a more regular occurrence. But eight Category 1 hurricanes have made it north of Guerrero Negro and three have made it all the way to the US border since 1948.Two have passed through Loreto and one through Mulege.

On the Pacific side the water is colder and few storms maintain hurricane strength much past Magdalena Bay. Weakened, these storms often travel up the outside of Baja and lash Turtle Bay and the Cedros Islands with tropical storms force winds and rain.

Northern Baja Storms

What about the monster storms? The good news is they haven't happen here in Baja like they do in the Caribbean. A Category 5 storm has yet to be generated in our region and according to our research nothing larger than a Category 2 storm has ever made landfall in Baja.

Most Powerful Storms

Once we get to October you would think that the season is winding down. Well, not exactly. The threat of tropical weather extends through the entire month of October. It is said the British Privateer Cromwell and Spanish explorer Cabrillo were taken by surprise in a late season storms.

By October the Sea of Cortez has reached it's high temperature, acting as a magnet to the warm water hungry storms. In addition the high altitude steering winds now have enough strength to overpower the storms desire to head west. One look at the storm plot for October and you can see what I mean.  There are fewer storms than in September, but the path moves them right over Baja.

October Storms

The good news is that by November 1st, like a line in the sand, the threat is over. Since 1950 only three tropical storms have even made it to within 250 miles of Cabo, none of them making land or achieving hurricane strength.
 

That's not to say our storms don't deserve respect. The most common mistake amongst hurricane prone areas on the east coast is complacency. Boaters should be well aware of anything in excess of a tropical depression. Land dwellers should recall a Category 4 storm, Liza,  in 1976 killed hundreds to thousands in La Paz from the flooding when a dam above the city burst. Liza never even made landfall in Baja, although the eye passed within 30 miles of East Cape on it's way to the mainland.

One thing to keep in mind is to build, play and live keeping in mind a category 4 or greater storm could someday impact the Baja. Miami, Florida went for years enjoying few or small hurricanes then was hit by Andrew, a Category 5 storm. Build new housing clear of arroyos, provide adequate trussing and roof fastening to withstand hurricane force winds. An above all, heed weather warnings and evacuate when advised to do so.

Kiko, in 1989, was probably the most powerful storm when it made landfall in Baja. It is debatable if it was the only Category 3 storm to make landfall in Baja. There is conflicting data as to whether is was a 2 or a 3 when hitting East Cape. Fausto, once a Category 3 storm tracked a path of destruction from Todos Santos to La Paz. But according to NHC and Unisys records, it was a Category 1 storm by the time it made landfall on Baja and only had tropical storm force winds by the time it reached La Paz. Hurricane Liza in 1986 passed precariously close to Baja and maintained Category 4 strength up though the Sea of Cortez, until making landfall on the mainland south of Guaymas.

So there you have it, everything you needed to know about the history of hurricanes in Baja. In summary of the statistics, it would appear the real Baja Hurricane Season runs from the last week of August to the second week of October. So batten down the hatches, prepare and protect your life and property and wait for the season to pass!

Stay informed as our tropical weather season progresses. The LosCabosInsider will continue to have informative articles on hurricane preparedness and weather updates on our Tropical Weather Watcher page. Subscribe to the LosCabosInsider for free and receive email updates and weather bulletins.

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