LOCATION…18.9N 110.1W
ABOUT 60 MI…95 KM E OF SOCORRO ISLAND
ABOUT 275 MI…445 KM S OF CABO SAN LUCAS MEXICO
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…70 MPH…110 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 325 DEGREES AT 2 MPH…4 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…990 MB…29.24 INCHES
Current weather reports show max sustained winds for Cabo San Lucas this weekend is only 30-ish miles per hour. The further west Norma goes, the less chance of rain … less chance of, Norma getting her margarita on.
NOTE: When I am talking about Hurricane Parties, I am not actually talking about a party … it’s just “fun” way of talking hurricane storm prep. Gotta have some humor in times of stress 🙂
Another old blog update partially re-sharing. Weather reporting is not a competition, so it doesn’t matter who tells you about it first. What matters, is whether or not the information is necessary to know at this moment, or if it can wait. Is is current? Is it accurate? Not the spelling … we can overlook spelling and grammatical errors when trying to get the 911 info out quickly.
I’ve often talked about how even if the eye of the storm, which we are all watching, does not hit us directly, that we can still be impacted by a sideswipe. A hurricane going west of us, is great but if we get smacked with the NORTH EAST part of the system – that is where the majority of the storms tornados appear as well is those nasty micro-bursts! So yeah, let us rejoice if it heads west but don’t get too overjoyed until we are 100% in the clear.
So YAY … it looks like at least in this update, that ALMOST a Hurricane Norma is veering even more towards the west. But still … we may not be under watches or warnings at this time, that could easily change in a heartbeat.
No one, wants a hurricane but sadly, hurricanes sideswiping us is when we usually get our much needed water supply in this paradise of a desert that meets the sea. I think we are FULL, thank you very much Lidia but we more than had our fill … please tell Norma thanks but no thanks. Lidia was never a hurricane, but Los Cabos received 27 or so inches in 24 hours when the yearly average is about 10 inches.
Even if we are only expecting winds of up to 35 mph (I don’t know yet … I’m typing this out hours ahead of publishing and even then the track could change last minute – it’s the anniversary today of the morning after Odile. I am SURE none of us will ever forget how SURE we all were she wasn’t coming here, right?) … I implore you to have your yard cleaned up! More people loose windows because their neighbors didn’t clean up their yards! Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Always refer to the National Hurricane Center for updates on Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. They update every 6 hours. If land may be effected and there are warnings/watches in place, they update every 3 hours. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?epac
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Hurricane parties used to be thrown after a storm had passed and everyone would gather together and combine their resources to get by. An “after a disaster block party” where everyone would bring what they had to whosever home was mostly intact and it would turn into a potluck that lasted until things returned to normal.
Okay … so you are all stocked up for hurricanes that we hope not to get this year after we just survived Lidia and have Norma looming 290 or less miles south of Cabo San Lucas (at the time I began writing this at 9:45am) . You’ve got your non-perishables, flashlights, batteries, candles (the kind that are actually LED battery operated are really cool), lighters, trash bags, work gloves and every other emergency item covered like your home First Aid Kit and are wanting to know how to host a raging hurricane party, right? Well, no one wants to actually live off of rice, beans, canned tuna and peanut butter when they can BBQ! And where is the wine?
These days, people like to plan hurricane parties during a hurricane. Personally, I prefer to be sober during a storm but that’s me. I also do not drink hard alcohol but will provide a few recipes =D
But whether it’s during the storm or after, if hurricane parties are your thing (this is more about sheltering together), let’s plan a good one.
First you need to figure out not the coolest – but the safest place to ride out a storm (presuming everyone has secured their own property best they can – for reals, no half azzzzz-ing it)
There are some things to consider. Who is on the guest list? If you suddenly can’t host, who will be next in line to take over the “festivities”? Now is the time, when there is nothing to worry about, today, to iron out those pesky details. Guests should bring their own pillows, sleeping bags (wet wipes in case showering isn’t possible) etc but a few days worth of clothing because even if you aren’t planning on your guests staying, it is possible, they will have no choice if you start the party before the storm actually arrives.
We have a guest list in the event of an emergency. We know how many we can sleep and sadly, we are maxed out. I will for sure, be the sober friend/hostess. In fact, as boring as I know it will be to many, it’s best to be sober during a storm. They happen at night, usually. Can you imagine bumping into things in the dark, drunk, during a storm? Or how about that next day hangover? It’s just not safe hurricane practice. What if something breaks or worse? Seriously … when the winds pick up and start blowing things across your yard and possibly into your house …
Don’t forget games! A few decks of cards, UNO, some board games … Twister …What about the music? Now if you are throwing a before the storm hits party and have a twisted sense of humor, you might consider songs like, The Kinks – One of the Survivors, Blue Oyster Cult – Eye of the Hurricane, Florence and the Machine – Hurricane Drunk … I could go on, but I think you can manage classics like Scorpions – Rock You Like a Hurricane etc. Now if you are hosting an after a storm party and things are bleak, you might not want to play that mix … go with something a bit more chill like classic rock or 80’s/90’s popular music of all genres.
I strongly suggest prepared fresh fruit and veggies to keep up energy and the immune system boosted. You will want to prep your perishable food in advance! In our neck of the desert meets the sea, we have to clean our produce well before consuming it so make sure everything is RTE. If you have kids or a sweet tooth, bake some cookies, make a cake, do something so that after the storm no matter what, you’ve got a sense of normalcy. Plan on BBQ’ing that meat? Get it marinated. Hoping to save it for later? Marinate it and store it in the freezer so that when it defrosts it’ll be perfect.
Oh, and rule number one, anyone sitting on their bum doing nothing – gets nothing. Just had to throw that out there.
Seriously, I’ve heard stories. Don’t be that guy. I really don’t have any other rules other then rule #1
Oh wait we were planning parties not being party poopers. Another variation of the hurricane
So make sure you’ve got plenty of ice on hand not just for your cocktails but in case your fridge goes out (even if you have a generator have ice as backup). Oh, you know what’s awesome? Keep your freezer full of – everyone always says frozen water bottles, I say frozen chickens! You can move them to defrost in the fridge next to the milk (properly wrapped of course) and BBQ them. It’s a win-win.
Personally, I’ll have a cooler with a spout with infused water but that’s how I roll. Super boring but I’ll be hydrated. 😊
So even if we end up not having an immediate threat, it’s still a good idea to plan your hurricane parties MONTHS in advance. Have secondary shelter places. Have a third. And if you plan on spending time downtown and day drinking at your favorite bar before they close, bring your kayak to get home if you have to drive past squid roe.
I am personally not planning a rager at my place if the SHTF – but I am thinking about getting the ingredients to at least one of the drinks posted above haha (not really. I didn’t last time I wrote this and I’m not doing it again so if one of you makes the drinks please let me know if they were yummy and I will enjoy them vicariously through you).
Seriously … make an emergency plan. Always, have a plan. for any unforeseeable type of emergency.
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Reminder/Disclaimer: This blog is for entertainment purposes. For all real important info please refer to the National Hurricane Center. CLICK ME Plus I know I am missing a whole bunch of things but I’m sure you’ve got this 🙂