Hurricane Frank not expected to threaten Cabo San Lucas

Hurricane Frank, which at 2 p.m. Wednesday featured 75-mph winds as it tracked slowly to the west-northwest away from southern Mexico, is expected to weaken considerably by the weekend and so far does not seem as though it will pose a major threat to Cabo San Lucas or elsewhere in Baja California Sur.

Frank became a hurricane Wednesday morning, while positioned about 450 miles southeast of Cabo San Lucas, and may strengthen over the next day or so, according to the National Hurricane Center. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

The forecast has Frank entering cooler water and becoming a tropical storm on Saturday, and shrinking to a tropical depression on Monday as it begins turning toward the Baja peninsula from the west.

But a band of much warmer water extends from Cabo San Lucas to the southwest, so the storm will be watched closely by residents and people with business interests in and around the resort destination.

 "It sure is muggy here, the feeling you get before the storms," said Eric Brictson, who runs the Gordo Banks Pangas sportfishing fleet in San Jose del Cabo on the Sea of Cortez. "It'll be interesting to watch and see what happens. We'll have to be prepared for the worst just in case."

Fishing business throughout the region are bracing for rain and large swells, but report very good action on marlin, tuna and dorado.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo of anglers posing with large yellowfin tuna courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing. Graphic courtesy of National Hurricane Center.