HURRICANE CENTRAL

THE LATEST HURRICANE UPDATES

HURRICANE RICK Updated: 10/21/2009  12:30 AM Hurricane Rick did not affect Puerto Vallarta.  Although Hurricane Rick became a massive category 5 hurricane, the strongest in the Eastern Pacific in over a decade, and the second strongest in history, with sustained winds of 180 mph (285 km/hr), it passed Puerto Vallarta well out to sea.  We received only a very small amount of rain and almost no wind.  Hurricane Rick did cause some disruption in cruise schedules for one or two days, but cruise passengers are always covered by our excellent no port-no pay policy.  Hurricane Rick looked initially like it was headed for a direct hit on Cabo San Lucas, but instead fizzled out and made landfall about 15 miles (25 km) north of Mazatlan with sustained winds of only 55 mph, a tropical storm, but not a hurricane.  Mazatlan received quite a bit of rainfall, and some trees and signs were down, but that was all.  No major damage was incurred.  Puerto Vallarta received no impact from the storm and vacations continued as normal.

PUERTO VALLARTA'S NATURAL HURRICANE BARRIER

Puerto Vallarta is in the tropics, which means tropical storms and even hurricanes are normal occurences throughout rainy season.  Luckily for visitors to the city, Puerto Vallarta has a couple of natural barriers which prevent storms from entering the city.  The predominant wind pattern is from the SW, which causes approaching weather patterns to be weakened over Cabo Corriente.  In addition, the Bay of Banderas acts as a natural buffer, keeping the storms out to sea instead of entering the city.  As a result, Puerto Vallarta has the enviable position of being virtually hurricane-free all year round.

PAST HURRICANES

June 2009 - Category 1 Hurricane Andres passed Puerto Vallarta as a Tropical Storm, but swerved West into the ocean, and Puerto Vallarta only received some drizzle and clouds.  There was no impact on the area.  By the next morning, it had fizzled out into a Tropical Depression.

November 2006 - Category 5 Hurricane John looked like it was on a collision course with the city, causing a great deal of preparation and worry.  However, like so many hurricanes before it, Hurricane John swerved to the west at the last minute, and completely spared Puerto Vallarta, instead making landfall eventually just North of Los Cabos.  Other hurricanes this year such as Lane and Paul passed well out into the Pacific, heading toward the Baja.

October 2002 - Category 5 Hurricane Kenna was the first major storm to hit Vallarta in over 35 years.  The third strongest storm on record ever to hit Pacific Mexico, she made landfall about 100 miles NW of Vallarta, near San Blas, on October 25th with winds of 140 mph, causing over $101 Million USD in damage to the coastline.  Over 100 people were injured, with no deaths reported, and 95% of the buildings in San Blas were damaged.  In Puerto Vallarta, the storm surge broke over the sea wall with 10-foot waves and caused damage to hundreds of coastal buildings of Puerto Vallarta as well, including 150 stores and 3 hotels, at a cost of over $5 Million USD, despite winds in the city itself of only 50 mph.  52 people were reported injured in Vallarta.

September 1998 - Tropical Storm Javier dropped a whopping 17.33 inches of rain on Puerto Vallarta, causing local flooding, but no major damage.

September 1997 - Category 4 Hurricane Nora caused a hurricane warning to be issued for the Puerto Vallarta area, but the storm moved offshore at the last minute, heading for the Baja instead.  No damage was reported in Vallarta.

September 1997 - Category 5 Hurricane Linda passed by without much incident.  The storm, carrying 185 mph winds, did produce waves that caused beachfront hotels to close, and some minor flooding, though no major damage was reported.

October 1996 - Category 1 Hurricane Hernan made landfall near Barra de Navidad, and carried northward through Puerto Vallarta.  However, the land weakened the storm rapidly, and although the area experienced 13-foot waves and flooding in the Melaque area, including some road washouts, no deaths were reported, and most of the damage was to the outlying rural coastal areas.

September 1971 - Category 1 Hurricane Lilly made landfall near Puerto Vallarta, where it claimed the lives of 12 people - 9 on one capsized boat.  Isla Cuale was flooded, causing it's residents to relocate to the new Colonia Pa'lo Seco.