Hurricane JimenaHurricane Jimena, off mainland Mexico, has intensified overnight and is classified as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of about 135 mph. At 8 a.m. Sunday its center was located 515 miles south-southeast of Cabo and was tracking to the northwest (see graphic below) at about 9 mph. The National Hurricane Center predicts it will skirt the Baja California peninsula before making landfall Tuesday night in the Magdalena Bay area. It will deliver plenty of much-needed rain, but might also cause extensive flooding.
The region desperately needs rain. Cattle are perishing and some residents in Los Cabos and throughout Baja California Sur are being given running water only once or twice a week. (Running water is not an issue for hotel guests.) The storm might also lead to temporary port closures. Eric Bricston, who runs Gordo Banks Pangas out of San Jose del Cabo, said via e-mail: "This storm does look dangerous and most likely on Monday morning we will have to haul all of the pangas [skiffs] out of the marina docking area up to the houses. A lot of heavy work, but it is better to be safe than sorry."
Jimena was located about 305 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and about 550 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja, California. The storm’s winds increased to near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. It was moving northwest at 12 mph. Forecasters expected the center of the storm to move parallel to the west coast of Mexico. Hurricanes of Category 3 or higher on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale are considered “major” and are the most destructive type.
