Friday, August 7, 2009

From paradise to disaster zone

This is summer 2009.
In the southern part of Baja California, Mexico.
It means being present in a process of something that is building up.
That will climax in hurricanes.

Now the stage of the process is that the Pacific Ocean is getting warmer and warmer.
Because of a current going from the south to the north.
Hurricanes need warm ocean water to develop and to move.

For now the Pacific Ocean at this location is still too cool for hurricanes to come up from the south.
However, the air made cool by the water of the Pacific Ocean runs into the warmer air coming from the south.
And this results in spectacular thunderstorms.
This phenomenon doesn't occur yet above El Triple, the current location of the Fuso Szulc.
The thunderstorms are above Punta Boca del Salado on the east-coast of the Baja peninsula.
Where the Gonzales family live.

Last night they had a tremendous thunderstorm and heavy rain.
From El Triple the lightning could be seen in the south.

Already in the very south, near Guatemala and the very south of Mexico, hurricanes develop.
They travel to the northwest following the Mexican coast.
As for now, because of the ocean water still too cool more to the north, the hurricanes swing off to the west into the direction of Hawaii.
Right now there are two hurricanes between Hawaii and Baja California: Enrique and Felicia.
Both moving to the northwest and of no influence for Mexico anymore.
They are too far away.



But for sure in the coming weeks new hurricanes will develop in the south and will find their way to the northwest.
Most likely in september or october Baja California may expect hurricanes to make landfall.
When the ocean water has become sufficiently warm.

To be in this situation is exciting.
It's like sometime soon everything can be turned topsy-turvy.
Because when a hurricane comes and it looks it is likely to make landfall nearby, shelter and protection must be sought.
That can be a matter of life and death.

Therefore, daily a website is visited where one can see if there are hurricanes developing and maybe coming this way.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml?epac
A very accurate daily report is found there made by the US National Hurricane Center.

It is fabulous to be at El Triple these days.
Fantastic weather.
But it is a wolf dressed like a sheep.
This sunny paradise can likely become a disaster area pretty soon.




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1 comment:

Jo said...

This one is pretty good to watch as well, wider view and updates automatically every half hour 24/7.
http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/nepac/loop-avn.html

If a cyclone as it's called down there were heading your way, what's your plan?