Hurricane Norbert Threatens Baja California

The most recent bulletin from Miami’s National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Norbert is now threatening “the Southern Baja California peninsula.” Maximum sustained winds are near 135 mph (215 km/hr) with higher gusts. “Norbert is an extremely dangerous category four hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale,” said the NHC.

The storm’s center is currently about 420 miles (675 kms) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, and it is expected to continue moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 km/hr) The NHC forecast a “gradual turn toward the north” later today.

Although it’s currently an extremely powerful category 4 hurricane, the NHC said Norbert “should begin to weaken by late tomorrow and steady weakening is forecast begin on Friday.

“Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles (55 kms) from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 145 miles (230 kms).”

According to the NHC’s five-day forecast, Norbert is expected to come ashore on the southern Baja California peninsula sometime Friday night. It’s then projected to cross the Gulf of California, and move on into Mexico, progressively weakening. It could eventually move into the Texas panhandle and southern New Mexico by Sunday night.

Source: National Hurricane Center – www.nhc.noaa.gov