surf's up

Friday was not a regular day at the beach.

Not unless you are fond of brisk breezes and waves with enough energy to take big bites out of the sand -- let alone prevent any casual toe-dipping in the surf.  Even if I had not been following the news, I would have known that something weathery this way comes.

What is not coming this way is hurricane Blanca -- the second in our very young storm season.  Blanca is, as I write, a category 1 hurricane with winds up to 90 MPH.  It was, just a few hours ago, a category 2 hurricane.*

The good news for Melaque is that Blanca is far to the west of us in the Pacific.  The bad news for Baja California is that Blanca will most likely pay a visit starting on Sunday as a tropical storm -- and then as a tropical depression.

But, as we discovered today, our part of the Mexican cost is not going to bid adios to Blanca without paying a price.  The down payment was the wind and hard surf. 

As Blanca gets to our northwest, we may experience some rain as a result of the weather that spins off from the hurricane.  The good people at the Weather Channel are predicting thunderstorms for the area.

I hope the people in Baja are not forced to pay a higher price.


* -- This morning at 8:25, Blanca is up to a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 MPH.  But it is still predicted to degenerate to a tropical storm before it hits the Baja coast.