Cabo Hurricane History
When is Hurricane Season in Cabo?
Hurricane season in Cabo officially runs from May 15 through November 30. Sounds like a long time, but in actual fact, most stormy weather occurs in September.
And often, there is very little. Usually the worst that will happen is a few days of higher than usual winds and waves. Perhaps with some heavy rain. Very few storms or hurricanes actually “hit land ” in Cabo. But some do.
Why hurricanes affect Baja California Sur
Unfortunately, it is down to location. The Baja
Pensinsula touches the edge of the east pacific hurricane track. This
means it is susceptible to hurricanes as they move northwest along the
pensinsula.
Fortunately, this north-westerly movement means that
tropical cyclones tend to happen mainly at sea. So most, but not all,
hurricanes in the eastern pacific basin do not make land fall. Sadly,
those that do, will hit Baja California Sur.
What you should know
If you choose to visit Cabo during the hurricane season –
there is a good chance that you will
experience restrictions on maritime and water activities due to high winds and
waves.
And there is a very small chance
that you will experience the effects of a tropical storm, or hurricane. There
are no guarantees – you may experience nothing other than fantastic weather and
blue sky.
How Odile has changed things
Prior to the devastation left in the wake of Odile in 2014, the word “hurricane” didn’t have the same effect on people in Cabo as it now does.
On September 14-15 Cabo was hit so hard by Hurricane Odile that it is hard to believe it has recovered so well. Weather experts disagree as to the actual strength when it came ashore – either a category 3 or 4. But for those caught up in it, the category was immaterial: the results were catastrophic.
The eye passed directly over the town during the early hours of Monday morning 15th and winds reached speeds of 135mph. The devastation was immense - with the airport taking a punishing and being forced to close. About 30,000 tourists were stuck – their vacations ruined. But you can easily go on another vacation. It was much worse for the local Mexicans. Thousands of them lost everything.