Tropical storm Blanca approaches Mexico’s Baja California
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Tropical storm Blanca approached Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Sunday, the system slowing as it approached landfall but still threatening to drench the area with significant rain.
Blanca, which reached Hurricane Category 4 storm status on Saturday, has steadily lost steam as it neared Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the system could produce total rainfall of 6 to 10 inches over much of Baja California, including the possibility of “life threatening flash floods and mudslides.”
Blanca was located about 130 miles south-southwest of the resort city of Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the peninsula, according to the NHC’s latest advisory.
A steady rain fell in the city on Sunday afternoon as many unfazed tourists gathered on the beach to watch the rising tide and take selfies as gusts grew stronger.
“It’s actually been a fun adventure for us,” said Jenny Leon, 48, a U.S. tourist staying at a hotel that had boarded up all of its windows as a precaution.
“We’re not scared. We’re kind of having fun with it,” she added.
The storm features maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour and was moving north-northwest at a pace of 9 mph.
The NHC expects Blanca to approach the southwest coast of the peninsula later on Sunday and move near or along the coast as late as early Monday morning.
Blanca is expected to further weaken to tropical depression status by Monday night.
Luis Felipe Puente, the national head of emergency services, told reporters on Saturday that 18,000 tourists were vacationing in and around Cabo San Lucas, and nearly three-quarters of them were foreigners who might require help leaving the area.
Last September, Hurricane Odile caused severe damage along a large swath of southern Baja California, flooding much of Cabo San Lucas and stranding thousands of tourists.