Destructive Hurricane Odile ‘Just a Few Hours’ from Cabo San Lucas -NHC

Hurricane Odile pictured September 14, 2014. REUTERS/NASA/Handout via Reuters

Category 3 Hurricane Odile is ‘just a few hours south’ of the fishing, cruise and resort town of Cabo San Lucas on the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. According to a 8 p.m. PDT update from the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Odile was located about 30 miles southeast of the southern tip of Baja California Sur packing sustained winds of 125 m.p.h., up to 18 inches of rain, and a destructive storm surge. Here is the latest public advisory from the NHC on Hurricane Odile (updates can be found at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/):

8:00 PM PDT Sun Sep 14
Location: 22.6°N 109.6°W
Moving: NNW at 17 mph
Min pressure: 930 mb
Max sustained: 125 mph

HURRICANE ODILE ADVISORY NUMBER 20

NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP152014
800 PM PDT SUN SEP 14 2014

…CENTER OF DANGEROUS HURRICANE ODILE JUST A FEW HOURS FROM CABO
SAN LUCAS…
…ALL PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY IN
THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED…
SUMMARY OF 800 PM PDT…0300 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…22.6N 109.6W
ABOUT 30 MI…45 KM SE OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…125 MPH…205 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NNW OR 340 DEGREES AT 17 MPH…28 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…930 MB…27.47 INCHES
WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY…

THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS DISCONTINUED THE TROPICAL STORM
WARNING FROM MANZANILLO TO CABO CORRIENTES.

THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS EXTENDED THE HURRICANE WARNING
NORTHWARD ALONG THE EAST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR NORTHWARD TO
LORETO.

THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS EXTENDED THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING
FOR THE EAST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM NORTH OF LORETO TO
BAHIA SAN JUAN BAUTISTA…AND FOR THE WEST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
SUR FROM NORTH OF PUNTA ABREOJOS TO PUNTA EUGENIA.

THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WATCH FOR THE
WEST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM NORTH OF PUNTA EUGENIA TO SAN
JOSE DE LAS PALOMAS…AND FOR MAINLAND MEXICO FROM ALTATA TO BAHIA
KINO.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT…

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM PUNTA ABREOJOS TO LORETO

A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* THE WEST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM NORTH OF PUNTA ABREOJOS
TO PUNTA EUGENIA.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* THE EAST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM NORTH OF LORETO TO
BAHIA SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

* THE WEST COAST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR FROM NORTH OF PUNTA
ABREOJOS TO PUNTA EUGENIA

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR…
* NORTH OF PUNTA EUGENIA TO SAN JOSE DE LAS PALOMAS
* MAINLAND MEXICO FROM ALTATA TO BAHIA KINO

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE IN THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA SHOULD
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF ODILE.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA…PLEASE MONITOR
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.
DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
——————————
AT 800 PM PDT…0300 UTC…THE CENTER OF HURRICANE ODILE WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 22.6 NORTH…LONGITUDE 109.6 WEST. ODILE IS MOVING
TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH…28 KM/H…AND A
NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD TO NORTHWESTWARD MOTION WITH DECREASING FORWARD
SPEED IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THE FORECAST
TRACK…THE CENTER OF ODILE WILL MOVE OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN
BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA IN A FEW HOURS…AND MOVE NEAR OR OVER
BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR THROUGH TUESDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 125 MPH…205 KM/H…WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. ODILE IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
HURRICANE WIND SCALE. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED UNTIL
THE CENTER REACHES LAND IN A FEW HOURS. GRADUAL WEAKENING IS
LIKELY THEREAFTER THROUGH TUESDAY.

ODILE IS A LARGE HURRICANE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 50 MILES…85 KM…FROM THE CENTER…AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 185 MILES…295 KM.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 930 MB…27.47 INCHES.
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
WIND…HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE BEGINNING IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN
PART OF BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR…AND WILL BE SPREADING NORTHWARD IN THE
HURRICANE WARNING AREA TONIGHT AND MONDAY. TROPICAL STORM
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTHWARD ACROSS BAJA CALIFORNIA
SUR IN ADVANCE OF THE HURRICANE CONDITIONS…AND OVER THE TROPICAL
STORM WARNING AREA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS
ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH FROM MONDAY THROUGH
EARLY TUESDAY.

STORM SURGE…A DANGEROUS STORM SURGE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE
SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING IN AREAS OF ONSHORE WINDS IN THE
HURRICANE WARNING AREA. NEAR THE COAST…THE SURGE WILL BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE WAVES.

SURF…SWELLS FROM ODILE WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHWESTERN
COAST OF MEXICO DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS…AND ARE AFFECTING
SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND THE
SOUTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA. THESE SWELLS WILL LIKELY CAUSE
LIFE-THREATENING SURF AND RIP CURRENT CONDITIONS. PLEASE CONSULT
PRODUCTS FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

RAINFALL…ODILE IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 12
INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM TOTALS OF AROUND 18 INCHES ACROSS MUCH
OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA THROUGH FRIDAY. THESE RAINS ARE
LIKELY TO RESULT IN LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES.
NEXT ADVISORY
————-
NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY…1100 PM PDT.
NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY…200 AM PDT.

$$
FORECASTER PASCH

Hurricane #Odile advisory 20 issued. Center of dangerous hurricane #Odile just a few hours from cabo san lucas http://t.co/mbw53QNBXE

— Natl Hurricane Ctr (@NHC_Pacific) September 15, 2014

LATEST NHC Update: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/