--- UPDATE 7/25/2014 (original story appears below) ---
Proteccion Civil, the local government agency responsible for public safety, reports that wind speeds during yesterday's surprise storm reached speeds in excess of 80 km/hr or 50 miles/hr.
Despite ominous skies, a fishing panga named of Sushi Time left the Cabo San Lucas marina prior to the Port Captain closing the marina at 7:30 AM. The boat's engine lost power and was capsized with three tourists aboard. All occupants were rescued with no injuries.
Proteccion Civil advised that the surprise storm was cause by the El Niñ0 anomaly, and surprise weather phenomenon such as this cannot be predicted. (We addressed this topic in late May)
Aside from some uprooted trees and general cleanup, no major damages have been reported.
--- (original story begins here) ---
Los Cabos was pounded early Thursday morning by heavy rains and strong winds. Though not a tropical storm system, rains and wind were quite heavy in the early morning hours.
Residents and tourists alike had gone to bed on Wednesday night to above average levels of heat and humidity, but there was no expectation of rain. At approximately 7:15 AM on Thursday the rains began. Within seconds, drops of rain transformed into thick curtains of water accompanied by battering winds that rattled windows, thrashed palm trees and blew away furniture.
The storm did not last long. The heavy winds and rain dissipated within an hour, though light rain remained until mid-day. The skies cleared and made way for the sun, the ocean calmed down quickly, and by late afternoon the temperatures were back in the mid-90s with high levels of humidity. Downtown looked good, and aside from power outages and leaves and palm branches strewn about resorts, there were no reports of major damage. Power was restored to most residential areas by mid-afternoon.
These types of spontaneous weather events, though common in the tropical regions of mainland Mexico such as Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco and Huatulco, are not at all common in the Baja desert region.
Cabo typically has plenty of notice of an impending tropical storm or hurricane, from a few days to more than a week to prepare. Even then, many storms do not reach the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. This storm, however, seemed to come out of nowhere.
Though the strong winds and rain did not last for long, many longtime Cabo residents claimed that the strength of the winds was equal to or stronger than any tropical storm or hurricane that has reached Cabo in recent years.
As always, iTravel Cabo will keep you up-to-date with any brewing storms that may affect us, as well as their aftereffects.