Hurricane Olaf crashed into Los Cabos resorts at the tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and then drenched the region Friday with torrential rains as emergency workers evacuated people from flood-prone areas.
Winds had dropped to 45 mph Friday afternoon, when the storm centered about 30 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lazaro. At least 700 local residents spent the night in shelters, while an estimated 20,000 foreign tourists huddled in their hotels. The Undersecretary of Civil Defense of the state of Baja California Sur, Carlos Alfredo Godínez, said he had not received reports of lives lost. The national power company reported that the storm cut power to most of the state's customers, but it was gradually being restored.
When the storm hit land, some motorists were stranded in their cars in high water. But the Cabo San Lucas Fire Department reported only fallen trees and power lines. The world has never seen a Category 6 hurricane. But the day may be coming As a fierce hurricane takes hold of South Florida, water managers desperately lower canals in anticipation of 4 feet of rain.
The hurricane center forecasts 5 to 10 inches of rain in the southern part of the peninsula, with up to 15 inches in isolated locations, creating the danger of flash floods and mudslides.
The hurricane centered about 20 miles (35 kilometers) east-northeast of Cabo San Lucas Thursday night, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph). It was moving northnorthwest at 12 mph (19 km/h). Hurricane-force winds extended up to 35 miles (55 kilometers) from the center and tropical storm-force winds up to 105 miles (165 kilometers). The hurricane was expected to bring 5 to 10 inches (12.7 to 25.4 centimeters) of rain to the southern part of the peninsula, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated locations, creating the danger of flash floods and mudslides.
Because it's “rainy season,” this is the best time of year to visit Cabo San Lucas if you want to avoid the crowds. The climate of Cabo Mexico is known for rains from August to September and the average temperature in Cabo San Lucas peaks at 90 degrees. The storm hit land near San Jose del Cabo late Thursday as a Category 2 hurricane with 100mph winds. If you look up when hurricane season is in Cabo San Lucas, you'll see that it's just around the corner, but the reality is that most storms won't come until late summer or early fall.
Los Cabos has great weather and family-friendly activities that take place most of the year, but there are two times of the year that families will want to avoid, the first being the rainy and hot season in August and September. Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo ports closed to boat traffic as tour operators moved boats in Cabo San Lucas to safer moorings. If you decide to visit Cabo during hurricane season, you will most likely experience restrictions on maritime and water activities due to strong winds and waves. Although it officially runs between the months of June and November, the hurricane season in Los Cabos is most active from August to October.
Olaf made landfall near the city of San Jose del Cabo late Thursday as a Category Two hurricane with maximum winds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour.
