Hurricane Odile Strikes Cabo San Lucas; Still on the Move

September 15, 2014 - Uncategorized - no comments

For areas expecting to see an impact from Hurricane Odile in the near future, there is a bit of good news: Surface winds are expected to rapidly decrease over the next 48 hours as the storm interacts with the mountainous terrain of the Baja California Peninsula.

But the storm is still packing dangerous winds and bringing 6-12 inches of rain across much of the peninsula, and for areas already hit by Odile, much damage has already been done. Additionally, at higher elevations there appears to be little benefit from the decreasing surface winds, with the National Hurricane Center warning that circulation aloft will not weaken as quickly as the low-level flow, and wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains may be up to 30% stronger than indicated in advisories.

 

Landfall

Catastrophe-modeling firm AIR Worldwide says the storm made landfall near the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas at about 9:45 p.m. local time on Sunday. “The landfall came as something of a surprise to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center, as earlier forecasts on Sunday had the storm staying further west, off the coast, and moving at a slower speed,” AIR says.

While the storm had reached Category 4 strength on Sunday, AIR says it made landfall as a Category 3 with wind speeds of 127 miles per hour. As for rainfall, AIR says, “An estimated six months’ worth of rain fell on Cabo San Lucas in just one hour.” Odile weakened after landfall and is currently a Category 2 hurricane, AIR says.

 

Damage

A story in the Washington Post describes the damage to Cabo San Lucas as “devastating,” noting that the storm’s size, strength and track make up “a worst-case scenario for this region.” A Reuters story notes thousands of tourists took cover in emergency shelters. The article quotes Luis Puente, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, as saying that 164 shelters had been readied with a capacity for 30,000 people.

The Associated Press posted a video to YouTube showing preparations and the storm as it approached land:

Images of the damage to Cabo San Lucas quickly spread across social media:

 

 

What’s next?

Tim Doggett, assistant vice president and senior principal scientist at AIR, says, “Odile is expected to move northwest into southern and central Baja peninsula through Tuesday. Coastal regions of Sinaloa and Sonora will also experience locally heavy rainfall into Tuesday. Over the next several days, heavy thunderstorms will develop along the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. There is also a chance the storm could track into the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.

“Odile should begin to weaken later today as it encounters more stable air and cooler water. The U.S. Southwest has a good chance of getting a round of flooding rain as the moisture from Odile heads north.”

The forecast track for Hurricane Odile as of 11:00 a.m. PDT, Monday

The forecast track for Hurricane Odile as of 11:00 a.m. PDT, Monday

As of the latest NHC update, a hurricane warning is in effect for Baja California Sur from Punta Abreojos to Punta Eugenia. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the east coast of the Baja Peninsula from north of Santa Rosalia to Bahia De Los Angeles, for the west coast of the peninsula from north of Punta Eugenia to San Jose De Las Palomas, and for mainland Mexico from north of Bahia Kino to Puerto Libertad.

 

What you need to know

Updated: September 16, 2014 at 1:32 P.M.

According to Olympus Tours, the leading transportation company in the area, much of the region is still in disarray.

– Los Cabos International Airport is closed until further notice.

– Many Hotels are impossible to get or exit due to water level being very high, and it is very dangerous to try with a regular vehicle.

– Clients have been moved to either shelters or stayed within property. There is no official bulletin from the Fideicomiso, no official word from the estate or local authorities of anything up to this point.  All information is coming from locals posting notes on their Facebook or Twitter accounts.

– Regular electricity is off completely, and hotels are running on generators where possible.

Secrets Puerto Los Cabos, Secrets Marquis, Dreams Los Cabos, Zoetry Casa del Mar report all clients are safe and sound on property, and their executive teams are accessing the property damage.

Las Ventanas will remain closed until the damage caused by Odile can be assessed fully. The property is accepting cancellations from now until October 15th.

All guests and staff currently at the Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos are all doing fine. The property is serving as a temporary shelter and is fully secured. For now, guests are restricted from traveling as the airport remains closed.

Travel Weekly reports that The Westin Los Cabos and the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar were damaged but are running on generators.

The Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort reports all guests and staff are accounted for. “At this early stage, we do not have a definitive assessment of the damage,” Hilton said in a statement, according to Travel Weekly. “Our immediate priority is to care for our guests and team members, and we are doing everything we can to minimize the effect on them.”

Playa Resorts announces all guests and staff remain safe and secure, and looking forward, guests scheduled to arrive through Sept. 21 will have the option to reschedule or to be re-accommodated to one of the Cancun/Playa del Carmen properties (based on availability and restrictions—please note some properties are adults only).  Guests arriving from Sept. 22 to Sept. 30 are asked to stand-by until the executive team arrives at the resort to assess the damage but may reschedule or be re-accommodated to one of the Cancun/Playa del Carmen properties as well.

One & Only Palmilla is currently closed as the staff assesses the situation and damage. The resort is currently redirecting bookings for arrivals between now and Sept. 25. Guests have the option to enjoy the One & Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas if they desire.

RIU Resorts announces that their hurricane policy is effect until Sept. 19.

At this point in time, the airport is still closed, and no official announcement as to when it will reopen has been issued.

Contact your travel agent if you have any questions about the region and its condition.