Tropical Storm Ileana brings pounding rain as it moves over southern Gulf of California, flooding roads

Mexico issued a tropical storm warning Saturday along the coast, from Altata to Huatabampito, and has discontinued all watches and warnings for Baja California Sur after rain from Tropical Storm Ileana pounded the resort-studded Los Cabos a day before.

Ileana moved northward over the southern Gulf of California at 7 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. As of Saturday evening, the storm was about 20 miles southeast of Los Mochis, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the center said.

Tropical Storm Ileana made landfall on the coast of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, near the coastal city of Topolobampo, and was moving north at 6 mph.

A tropical storm warning was in effect from the Sinaloa town of Altata north to Huatabampito. 

“The center of Ileana will move near over the coastal region of northern Sinaloa during the next several hours, and then move over the Gulf of California roughly parallel to the coast on Sunday,” the hurricane center said in its latest advisory. 

Ileana was forecast to begin weakening Saturday night and would dissipate by Monday. It was forecast to bring up to 10 inches of rain to portions of northwest coastal Sinaloa. 

Juan Manuel Arce Ortega, from Los Cabos Civil Protection, said the municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos were on red alert at the time and urged residents to avoid crossing rivers, streams, and low areas where they can be swept away by water.

All schools in Los Cabos were also suspended Friday due to the storm.

Óscar Cruces Rodríguez of Mexico’s federal Civil Protection said in a statement that residents should avoid leaving their homes until the storm passes and if residents are in an area at risk of flooding to find temporary shelters.

Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection.

At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. “The rain isn’t very strong right now, but the waves are choppy,” he said.

“The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee,” Galvan said. “There’s some flights canceled but everything is ok at the moment.” Galvan said they are awaiting further advisories from authorities.

The rain remained consistent through Los Cabos Friday afternoon, with several roads flooded and some resorts stacking up sandbags on their perimeters. Some people were still walking around boat docks with their umbrellas.

“The priority has to be safety, starting with the workers. We always have to check on our colleagues who live in risk areas,” said Lyzzette Liceaga, a tour operator at Los Cabos.

“We give them the information shared by the authorities — firefighters in risk areas — so that they can go to the shelters if necessary,” she added.

Earlier this week, Francine weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north across Mississippi, soaking that state and its neighbors in heavy rain after it slammed into the Louisiana coast Wednesday evening as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane. In August, Tropical Storm Ernesto moved away from Bermuda after making landfall on the island as a Category 1 hurricane. 

Hurricane activity tends to peak in mid-September, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.