Hurricane John off of Baja California Mex (UPDATE, UPGRADED CAT 4)

Weather Underground.com ^ | August 29, 2006

[MikefromOhio]

well there's been a lot of shear and a lot of dry air off of Africa that has prevented anything from really developing.

Ernesto and Chris are prime examples of it. Ernesto was steered into the Dominican and Chris was sheared completely apart. Debby was swallowed up by shear and dry air.

It's been a good year so far.

[Republicus2001]

Mexican doesn't allow any non-citizens to own property in Mexico only lease.

as of 2005 no longer true ... Americans are welcomed to buy property in Baja, but be sure and hire a local attorney along with aforementioned Arizona title insurance co.

[Republicus2001]

2-3 bedroom luxury condos go for around US$160,000

[ladyinred]

Never had one in California yet, at least not that I know of. Funny, I live in the Sierras and we are under cloud cover today. I don't think it would hit this far north however! :-)

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Very rarely; Coriolis force tends to shove hurricanes to the west, and hitting California would require some eastward travel.

You'd need a godawfully big, intense high pressure zone off of the California and Mexico coast to get it to happen.

[Deaf Smith]

Your Baja storms are good rain makers for Texas.

[Trampled by Lambs]

"Do hurricanes ever hit CA? "

No, we prefer fires and earthquakes here.

Seriously, as I understand it, the water is too cold off the coast of Ca. so a storm like this would peter out by the time it came that far north since it's the warm water that feeds them.

[brytlea]

And...you gave away your age! ;)
susie

[brytlea]

Thanks for that info. I knew I had never heard of one hitting but then again...you know...global warming and all... ;)
susie

[brytlea]

Really. Ernesto is turning into Enothingo! But that's ok. I put up my shutters and am ready just in case!
susie

[brytlea]

I guess earthquakes and mudslides are enough!
susie

[brytlea]

You know, it's interesting for storms to go westward. I've seen it here in S. FL too, but I recall in TX storms pretty much move east.
susie

[brytlea]

I had forgotten how cool the ocean water was there (it's been about 25 years since I've been to CA). The water here in FL is like a bathtub most of the time.
susie

[Tall_Texan]

Lots of Johns head for Tijuana.

[brytlea]

Are you in N. CA? I have not visited up there, but I would love to see it.
Well, I'm lying, I think we drove thru there when we went to the Seattle World's Fair, but I was only 5.
susie

[brytlea]

Well then....the Rove Hurricane Machine could do it, I bet! ;)
susie

[Riley]

California native here- living on the East Coast just now. No hurricanes/typhoons in the Bay Area that I am aware of- but we've gotten damaging winds that were severe enough to knock power out for a few days in some places and bring down a lot of trees.
Training op, while in the service, in the Sacramento River delta area once- I had firewatch in the wee hours of the morning. I was standing in the lee of a six-by that was being rocked by the howling, sustained winds.
I saw a two man tent suddenly catch the wind, inflate, rip out of the ground and instantly disappear into the darkness, out of my field of view. A moment later, the man inside's sleeping bag did the same thing- it came right off of him and followed the tent to whatever netherworld lost field gear disappears to.
The guy didn't wake up. We finally retrieved his sleeping bag IIRC, I think it caught on something solid.

[Arthalion]

the water temps as far south as San Diego are only 22C at the most. That's not warm enough to sustain any Hurricane for very long.....

I once heard a meteorologist state that it's theoretically possible for SoCal to be hit by a hurricane, but the odds are incredibly thin. The storm would essentially need to maintain Cat5 strength and beeline straight up the Sea of Cortez. The water IS warm enough to sustain such a storm, but it would need to maintain a precise path to avoid landfall in the relatively narrow channel. If it struck the Colorado River delta at Cat5 strength and with sufficient speed, it could still be a Cat1 or 2 (probably 1) as it crossed northwest over San Diego.

Even more interestingly, the guy also showed how a perfectly aimed storm could re-energize itself if it went straight from the Sea of Cortez to the Salton Sea. The resulting storm would still have hurricane force winds as it hit PALM SPRINGS, and would be a tremendously powerful tropical storm as it hit LA.

He made it clear though, that the whole scenario is one of those one in a million things. The conditions needed for such a hurricane to exist only last for a very short time each year. Too early in the hurricane season, and the northern Sea of Cortez won't have warmed enough. Too late, and the Colorado River will have cooled it too much. The sea has to be hot, the deserts have to be hot, and the hurricane would need to maintain a very specific path and rate of acceleration. It IS possible.

[MikefromOhio]

yeah...

well hell they had a Hurricane hit the Iberian peninsula last year, anything is possible....

It's probably one of those one every 400 years type things....

[MikefromOhio]

yeah...

the Atlantic and the Pacific are two different animals entirely....