**Tuesday morning update: Javier has diminished to tropical depression status – earlier than expected – and is expected to become a remnant soon. Warnings and watches are no longer in effect.
Tropical Storm Javier on Monday delivered heavy rain throughout Baja California Sur, flooding streets and creating a fair amount of chaos. But as of Monday afternoon, powerful storm winds were not yet evident.
That was expected to change, however. At 2 p.m., Javier’s center was positioned about 35 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at Baja California's tip, poised to make landfall with maximum sustained gusts of 65 mph. (Update: At 5 p.m. the National Hurricane listed Javier's position as 50 miles south-southeast of Baja California's tip, implying a reversal of movement.)
According to forecast models, Javier is expected to spin alongside the west coast of the peninsula as it travels slowly to the northwest. It’s not expected to attain hurricane status (winds of at least 74 mph).
There were no immediate reports of heavy damage, and commercial flights into and out of Los Cabos were continuing. The Cabo San Lucas port, however, closed to boat traffic late Sunday and remained closed Monday. Farther up the coast, as far as La Paz on the Sea of Cortez, some fleet operators had pulled their boats out of the water as a precaution.
Mike Tumberio, owner of RenegadeMike Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas, posted a Facebook video showing some of the flooding in downtown Cabo San Lucas.
Tumberio also posted his observations as he drove his house cleaner to her house before the streets became too messy:
“I just gave my house cleaner a ride home and that was almost a mistake as the flood came and traffic [was] pretty bad.
“I just bought a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee trail rated special edition for this type of situation and she handled the flooding just as advertised. Had water up to the door panels at times with no problems.“Went to marina to check on the boat and the flooding there is a mess, and will get al lot worse in a few hours. Lots of cars stuck in middle of road.”
Mark Rayor, owner of Jen Wren Sportfishing in the East Cape region, 80 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, said several inches of rain had fallen, but as of 4 p.m., there was very little wind.
“No wind but a lot of rain," Rayor said. “Our pool is at the brim and we have started a siphon so the salt water doesn’t get on our lawn.”
Hopefully, that's the last of the worries for residents throughout the region, as Javier runs its course.
–Image is via the Weather Channel
Comments