Los Cabos Civil Protection expects rain, at times heavy and with lightning, to keep moving across the municipality for about the next 72 hours. The alert came on Tuesday evening, October 27, the same night a heavy downpour hit Cabo San Lucas, and it points to an unstable atmosphere in the region plus the approach of Tropical Storm Vance, which is passing well out at sea.

According to the city’s civil protection office, the weather radar in Cabo San Lucas shows rain cells coming in from the southern coast, bringing light to heavy rain and electrical activity to much of the municipality, and weakening gradually as they move over land. Its forecast is based on Mexico’s National Weather Service (SMN), the National Water Commission (Conagua) and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Where Vance is

At 2 a.m. MST on Wednesday, October 28, the US National Hurricane Center placed Vance about 280 miles (455 km) west of Manzanillo, with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 km/h), moving north at about 12 mph. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, though the center asked people in the southern Baja California Peninsula to keep an eye on the storm. It expects Vance to turn north-northeast and become a post-tropical remnant low on Thursday as it approaches the coast of northwestern Mexico. Its rainfall forecast for Vance focuses on Sinaloa, Durango and Nayarit.

The ocean is the bigger concern for beachgoers. The hurricane center warned that swells from Vance will reach the southern part of the peninsula over the next few days and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip currents. If a lifeguard flag says stay out, it’s worth listening. For more on the storm season, see our guide to hurricanes in Cabo San Lucas.

Roads after Tuesday’s rain

The city sent heavy machinery out on Tuesday night to clear earth, mud and debris washed onto the streets. In Cabo San Lucas, crews focused on Avenida Nicolás Tamaral at the entrance to the Chulavista neighborhood, where one of the worst stretches was cleared and reopened to traffic. The city also warned that water was still pooling and running across parts of the Transpeninsular Highway near Costa Azul.

If you’re driving, Civil Protection asks that you never try to cross an arroyo, a dip in the road (vado) or a street with running water, slow down and leave plenty of space, and pull over somewhere safe if the rain makes it hard to see. Report any emergency to 911. For more on local conditions, see our Cabo San Lucas weather page.

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