Double Trouble: Hurricane Norma and Tammy Threaten Cabo San Lucas and the Leeward Islands
Hurricane Norma threatens Mexico's Los Cabos resort area with destructive winds and a dangerous storm surge, while Hurricane Tammy approaches the Leeward Islands in the Atlantic
Hurricane Norma is predicted to hit the popular resort area of Los Cabos in Mexico from the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, bringing with it devastating winds and a hazardous storm surge. Despite this, another hurricane is currently affecting island nations in the Atlantic.
As of early Saturday, Norma is classified as a Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean. The National Hurricane Center has forecasted that it will pass over or come close to areas of Baja California Sur in Mexico, including Cabo San Lucas, late Saturday afternoon or early evening.
Norma is forecasted to weaken to below Category 3 as it reaches land, but it will still pose a threat as a hurricane to a region known for tourism and inhabited by a significant population. The hurricane center has warned that the conditions could be life-threatening.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Tammy, currently a Category 1 storm, has sparked warnings for hurricanes in parts of the Leeward Islands. This chain of nations and territories lies between the Caribbean Sea and the open Atlantic.
The US is not at risk from either storm. Regarding Norma: As of early Saturday, Norma was situated approximately 85 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, with maximum sustained winds reaching 115 mph. The hurricane center reported that rain and tropical storm conditions were already affecting the area.
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A hurricane warning was in effect for south parts of Baja California Sur, including Cabo San Lucas.
The hurricane center predicted that an imminent storm surge could potentially result in coastal flooding in regions with onshore winds within the hurricane warning area on Saturday. Additionally, the hurricane center warned that the surge would be accompanied by substantial and highly damaging waves near the coastline.
Norma is expected to cause significant rainfall and flooding in the area until Sunday. The southern portion of California Baja Sur may experience rainfall totals ranging from 5 to 10 inches, with some areas possibly receiving up to 15 inches by Sunday. In addition, parts of Mexico's Sinaloa state may also experience heavy rainfall until Monday. The National Hurricane Center has issued a warning stating that these rains may lead to flash and urban flooding, as well as potential mudslides in higher elevated areas.
Hurricane Tammy heads for the Leeward Islands
After passing over Baja California Sur, Norma is expected to change its direction towards the east, traverse the Gulf of California, and reach the western coast of mainland Mexico, most likely as a tropical storm, on Monday morning.As of 5 a.m. ET on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center reported that Tammy, a hurricane in the Atlantic, was located approximately 60 miles east-northeast of Dominica and had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Over the course of Saturday night, Tammy is forecasted to approach or pass over parts of the Leeward Islands, including Guadeloupe and Antigua and Barbuda. It is then expected to continue its path north of the northern Leeward Islands on Sunday.
Hurricane-force winds reached 25 miles beyond the storm's center, while tropical storm-force winds extended up to 125 miles on Saturday morning.
Late October rarely sees hurricanes in this area of the Atlantic. Tammy marks only the third hurricane to develop in this far southeast region since 1900, as confirmed by hurricane expert Michael Lowry.
According to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, this is also the most recent hurricane to form in this region of the Atlantic since 1966. Earlier predictions by hurricane experts indicated that hurricanes could form in unconventional regions later in the season this year due to the unusually warm Atlantic Ocean.
Parts of the Leeward Islands may experience a potential storm surge ranging from 1 to 3 feet.
The storm's most significant danger will be heavy rainfall, which has the potential to cause flash flooding and mudslides. Rainfall amounts in the Leeward Islands are predicted to be between 4 and 8 inches, with some areas receiving up to a foot of rain if the heaviest downpour occurs. In Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands, rainfall is expected to be lighter, with a likelihood of 1 to 2 inches.
Conditions across the island chain will start to improve from south to north by late Sunday as the storm progresses northward and exits the region. As Tammy remains in the Atlantic, only two names, Vince and Whitney, remain on the standard Atlantic storm name list before the hurricane center switches to an alternative list of names.
