Hurricane Norbert - special posting

Good morning everyone. We've received quite a few "concerned" e-mails about Hurricane Norbert which is expected to make landfall on Saturday so thought I'd do a special posting about it.

Yes, it is headed our way and yes, we are making plans to hopefully stay out of its' way as much as we can. We appreciate all your concern - we are feeling loved! We were planning on staying in San Carlos to meet a friend from Canada to go out sailing for a few days, but out here in the sea all itineraries are written at low tide. After getting a few more weather updates today we will make our final plans as to where we will "wait out the hurricane". We are taking this one very, very seriously and will make plans accordingly - so rest assured that we may be adventurous, but we aren't reckless.

We are looking forward to spending our winter in Silver Star in another month and seeing the kids and friends. Here's a great shot from this weekend of Danny and Kylie at the Toby Keith concert in Kamloops...it's great they get along so well.

Direct from the Hurricane Centre - October 8th

10/08/08 3AM MDT FROM THE NHC...NORBERT BECOMES A MAJOR HURRICANE WITH 115 MPH WINDS... INTERESTS IN THE SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF NORBERT.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS... PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

10/08/2008 5:37 AM MDT Hurricane Norbert continues to strengthen and is now a Major Hurricane some 470 miles south of Cabo San Lucas. Currently a Category 3 Hurricane, Norbert is expected to strengthen to Category 4 in the next 12-24hrs. Forecasts call for Norbert to lose some of that intensity before making landfall near Magdalena Bay late Friday or early Saturday.
Hurricane Norbert is currently located near near 16.1N 110.0W and motion is 295° at 9kts. Central barometric pressure is estimated at 960Mb and winds are 100kts with gusts to 120kts. Norbert is forecast to turn more northward in the next 24hrs and is expected to make landfall as a strong Category 2 intensity hurricane near Magdelena Bay on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur. Wind speeds at the time of landfall are forecast to be in excess of 95kts.
Persons with interests in Baja California Sur should begin preparations for a hurricane landfall and significant wind and rain conditions which could begin as early as late Thursday. All of Baja Sur is still within the 5 day forecast threat window. Those along the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur should pay particularly close attention to the path of this storm over the next 24-36hrs.
Hurricane force winds will extent out approximately 65 miles and tropical storm force winds are forecast to extend out as much as120 miles from the eye at the time of landfall. Heavy rain and the potential for flash flooding will be a possibility across the entire state of Baja California Sur through the weekend.
Hurricane Norbert now has a clearly defined eye as it begins to turn to the north, and will remain over +28°C water with optimal conditions for continued development for the next 36hrs. Norbert is now a Major Hurricane, a hurricane of Category 3 or more is considered a Major Hurricane.
Norbert is forecast to continue strengthening and should surpass Hurricane Hernan as the most powerful storm of the 2008 Hurricane Season later today. Hernan formed in the first week of August and moved off into the Pacific without ever making landfall with maximum winds of 105kts. Norbert is forecast to achieve maximum sustained winds of 115kts and gusts to 145kts or 160 miles per hour.
Although Norbert is forecast to diminish to a Category 2 Hurricane before making landfall it could be be one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Baja since Hurricane John in 2006. Due to the fact that it will make landfall directly off the Pacific Ocean storm surge, or the water pushed ahead of the storm, could be more significant than storms of the past few years.
The storm track is currently predicted to cross the peninsula into the Sea of Cortez near Loreto and Mulege. Those areas should prepare for the likelihood of significant rain and the potential of severe flooding should the storm hold to the current track.
Norbert is remaining very close to early path projections, bending ever more to a NNE track in the next 36hrs, Current projections have a Hurricane Norbert several hundred miles WSW of Cabo San Lucas on Friday morning as a Category 4 hurricane.
Only one major Hurricane has ever made landfall in Baja California Sur in the last 50 years and that was Hurricane Kiko in 1989 which came ashore on the East Cape, when the area was much less inhabited than today.
Also, keep in mind that intensity forecasts are the most difficult when attempting to predict a hurricane's behavior. Hurricane John in 2006 was forecast to make Baja landfall as a Major Hurricane yet diminished to a Category 2 before making landfall in the East Cape region.
The next update to this information will occur following the 3PM release