Current storm Norma continued its path toward mainland Mexico on Sunday as Hurricane Tammy made landfall on the Caribbean island of Barbuda.
The National Hurricane Center on Sunday morning said that flash flooding and heavy rain are at risk across mainland Mexico as the tropical storm continues to move north-northeast across the Gulf of California.
The center of Norma is expected to “approach the west coast of mainland Mexico” on Sunday and then move inland on Monday, the NHC said.
tropical storm #Norma Note 20A: Norma is moving northeastward over the Gulf of California. Continued heavy rains and flash floods threaten mainland Mexico. https://t.co/Oy8uoeSibM
— NHC Eastern Pacific (@NHC_Pacific) October 22, 2023
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According to the NHC, Norma had a maximum sustained wind speed of 65 miles per hour on Sunday evening, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 155 miles from the center of the storm. Norma was located approximately 105 miles west of Culican, Mexico, and 65 miles south-southwest of Mochi, Mexico. It was moving northeast at 3 miles per hour.
“Little change in strength is forecast today and Norma is expected to approach the west coast of mainland Mexico as a tropical storm,” NHC said.
Hours after Norma made landfall near the resort town of Los Cabos on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California, Hurricane Tammy hit the Caribbean island of Barbuda.
Both storms were Category 1 hurricanes when they made landfall.
Tammy came ashore Saturday evening with winds of 85 miles per hour. As of Sunday evening, the storm had not weakened and was centered 120 miles north of Anguilla, according to the NHC. Tammy was moving northwest at 9 miles per hour and all watches and warnings had been discontinued.
A black flag flies in the wind, signaling a closed beach ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Norma in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Fernando Llano / AP
Norma, once a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall near El Pozo de Cota, west-northwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with winds of 80 miles per hour. The system later weakened to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph as it crossed the Baja California peninsula, the center said.
Businesses in Cabo San Lucas had nailed plywood over their windows and government workers hung banners warning people not to cross ravines and riverbeds after Norma regained strength Friday and re-developed into a severe storm.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that there were no reported fatalities from the storm as of Saturday evening.
In Cabo San Lucas, curious tourists made their way along debris-strewn beaches after the storm.
Authorities urged people to stay at home on Saturday evening. Families were still in shelters in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, but officials did not provide numbers. Around 200 people were in emergency shelters in La Paz.
The slow pace increased the possibility of severe flooding. Norma was expected to drop 15 to 30 centimeters of rain, with a maximum of 18 centimeters in some places in southern Baja California and much of Sinaloa state.
John Cangialosi, a senior specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said the area was vulnerable to rain because it is generally a dry region.
“In general, 15 to 30 centimeters of rain is forecast, but there could also be rainfall amounts of up to 45 centimeters and we expect this to be the largest impact, which could lead to flash flooding, urban flooding and mudslides,” said he .
Baja California Sur Governor Victor Castro said on X that “as it progresses slowly, major damage is expected.”
However, initially only minor damage was reported. Some trees and power poles were down, but there were no reports of injuries.
Police in San Jose del Cabo rescued two people from their truck early Saturday when it was swept away by a rushing creek. Some informal settlements, away from tourist hotels, have been isolated by rising waters. Some neighborhoods lost power and internet.
The federal government sent 500 Marines to the resort area to help with storm preparations.
By late morning, the area’s streets were littered with palm fronds and other debris and virtually deserted except for occasional military patrols. Strong winds whipped road signs, trees and power lines.
Hotels in Los Cabos, which are mostly visited by foreign tourists, remained about three-quarters full and visitors had not made any move to leave en masse, officials said. The local hotel association estimated that about 30,000 tourists were in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo on Friday.
Airports were closed, but San Jose del Cabo Airport Director Francisco Villaseñor said he expected flights to resume by midday Sunday.
Tammy dumped 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) of rain two weeks after Tropical Storm Phillippe slammed into Antigua and Barbuda, plunging both islands into darkness. The slow-moving system was forecast to dump up to 30.4 centimeters (12 inches) across a twin-island nation where the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Philippe’s recent wind damage and flooding were still fresh in memory.
“So that means the earth is still somewhat saturated and with additional rainfall the risk of flooding increases,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne said in a national broadcast on Friday. He urged residents to take all necessary measures to protect lives and property.
Government offices, banks and most non-retail businesses closed early Friday to allow employees to prepare. Residents rushed to stock up on essentials, causing gridlock across St. John’s and near popular malls and supermarkets.
Local disaster management officials announced plans to open about 40 emergency shelters in communities across the country.
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