Hurricane Norbert

Pre-Landfall 1 | Summary
Posting Date: October 10, 2008, 9:23:00 AM

Hurricane Norbert, which had been a powerful Category 4 hurricane two days ago with 135 mph winds, is now a Category 2 storm. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Norbert is expected to succumb to wind shear and weaken further before arriving near the southern Baja California peninsula early Saturday as a Category 1 hurricane. Although brief periods of heavy rainfall are expected, an anticipated increase in forward speed should minimize flooding. As of 11:00 AM EDT, Hurricane Norbert—the sixth named hurricane of the East Pacific season—is located approximately 275 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph, with higher gusts. On Wednesday, Los Cabos Mayor Oscar Nunez urged residents living in low-lying areas to prepare to evacuate. Elsewhere, officials said they are preparing to evacuate residents in the towns of Agua Escondida, El Cardonal and Marquez de Leon, which are located in Norbert’s potential path. A hurricane warning is in effect for the west coast of Baja from Punta Andre Andresito to Agua Blanca. Insured residential properties in Mexico are dominated by confined masonry construction. Commercial properties tend to be constructed of confined masonry or reinforced concrete. Both construction types should fare well in the face of wind speeds of the kind expected from Hurricane Norbert and structural damage is, therefore, expected to be minimal. Still, many homes are likely to suffer damage to roof shingles and non-structural elements may sustain minor to moderate damage. Elsewhere in the East Pacific, Tropical Storm Odile developed on October 9th and is currently running parallel to Mexico’s mainland Pacific coast. A tropical storm watch for the Pacific coast from Punta Maldonado to Zihuatanejo has been issued for Odile and forecasters say it could dump up to 8 inches (200 millimeters) of rain on parts of Guatemala and southern Mexico. The AIR tropical cyclone team is monitoring the progress of Norbert and Odile will make additional information available as warranted.

Pre-Landfall 1 | Downloads
Posting Date: October 10, 2008, 9:23:00 AM