The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is May 15 through November 30. In Baja, a storm can pass offshore and still bring flooding, road closures, outages, dangerous surf, wind damage, and heavy rain.
Before the season
Storm planning is easiest while the forecast is still quiet.
Know your nearest official shelter, your safest room at home, and the roads near you that flood first. Pay special attention to arroyos, low-water crossings, dirt roads, steep driveways, and areas where runoff collects quickly.
Keep important documents in a waterproof bag or sealed container. Include passports, residency documents, insurance papers, vehicle documents, property records, medical information, and emergency contacts.
Create a dated photo or video record of your home, vehicles, roof, windows, solar equipment, appliances, outdoor areas, and valuable items. That record can support an insurance claim after damage.
Review insurance coverage early in the season. Policy changes may not be available once a storm threat is close.
Know your local flood pattern
Storm risk in Baja is often about water movement, not only wind speed.
Before the season, identify the arroyos, low crossings, hillside roads, unpaved access routes, and drainage channels near your home, workplace, school, or rental property. A route that is easy on a dry day can become blocked quickly during heavy rain.
Choose more than one way to reach home, higher ground, medical care, and your nearest official shelter. If you live outside town or behind dirt-road access, plan for the possibility that you may need to stay put until roads reopen.
Never treat a familiar crossing as safe during runoff. Conditions can change faster than they look from a vehicle.
Communication plan
Decide how your household will communicate if cell service is weak or internet is down.
Write down key phone numbers on paper. Include family, neighbors, property managers, medical contacts, local emergency numbers, and anyone who may need help during a storm.
Choose one out-of-area contact who can receive updates from your household and pass information to others if local calls are unreliable.
Download important documents, maps, insurance information, and official emergency contacts before a storm is close. Do not assume cloud storage will be reachable during an outage.
Official alerts and decision points
Use BajaStorms as an organizing tool, not as a replacement for authorities.
Before a storm is nearby, bookmark official sources for Protección Civil, SMN/CONAGUA, the National Hurricane Center, and your municipality. Know where official shelter, road, port, school, airport, and service-disruption notices are published.
Decide in advance what actions you will take at each level of concern. For example: when a system is being monitored, review supplies; when watches or warnings are issued, finish errands and secure the property; when local authorities issue instructions, follow them promptly.
If official guidance conflicts with a forecast graphic, social media post, private message, or local rumor, treat the official instruction as the one to follow.
Visitors, renters, and property managers
Storm planning is different if you are visiting Baja, renting a home, managing a property, or hosting guests.
Visitors should know the address where they are staying, the nearest main road, the nearest official shelter area, and how to contact the host or property manager without relying only on app messages.
Hosts and managers should provide guests with local emergency contacts, instructions for gates and shutters, parking guidance, water shutoff information, and clear rules for what to do if travel is interrupted.
If guests may be unfamiliar with arroyos, low crossings, or storm surge, explain those risks before weather deteriorates. Do not assume visitors understand local road behavior during tropical rain.
Evacuation and shelter planning
Leaving is safest when it is done early, calmly, and under official guidance.
Know whether your home is in a flood-prone area, near an arroyo, close to unstable slopes, exposed to storm surge, or dependent on a road that often closes. Those factors may matter more than the exact storm category.
If local authorities recommend evacuation, leave before travel becomes dangerous. Bring medications, documents, cash, phone chargers, drinking water, basic clothing, pet supplies, and anything required for children, older adults, or people with medical needs.
If you plan to use an official shelter, confirm pet rules, accessibility, transportation options, and what supplies you should bring. If you plan to stay with friends or family, confirm the plan before the weather turns.
If you stay home, choose an interior area away from glass, exterior doors, and outside-facing walls. Keep shoes, flashlight, phone, medications, water, and important documents close enough to reach in the dark.
Supplies checklist
Keep enough supplies for at least 3 to 5 days. If you live in an area where access, water delivery, cell service, or electricity may be interrupted longer, plan for 7 to 14 days if possible.
Recommended supplies:
- Drinking water: at least 4 liters per person per day.
- Non-perishable food that can be eaten without cooking.
- Manual can opener.
- Flashlights and extra batteries.
- Power banks and charging cables.
- Battery-powered or solar radio.
- First-aid kit.
- At least 7 days of medications.
- Cash in small bills.
- Pet food, pet water, leashes, and carriers.
- Baby supplies, hygiene items, and personal care items.
- Trash bags, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, and basic cleaning supplies.
- Work gloves, sturdy shoes, and eye protection for cleanup.
- Printed emergency contacts and important phone numbers.
Plan for cash-only conditions. Card networks, ATMs, mobile apps, internet service, and cell networks may be unavailable during or after a major storm.
Home and property preparation
Secure your home while there is still time to work safely. Roads, stores, fuel stations, and hardware supplies can become difficult once a threat is close.
Outside:
- Bring loose outdoor items inside or secure them well.
- Bring in or tie down furniture, umbrellas, cushions, decorations, tools, planters, trash containers, and pool equipment.
- Trim weak branches and clear loose yard debris.
- Open drainage paths on roofs, patios, gutters, scuppers, and around the property.
- Check that gates, exterior doors, shutters, screens, and garage doors are secure.
- Secure solar panels, satellite dishes, antennas, and rooftop equipment.
- Disable automatic irrigation when heavy rain is expected.
- Move vehicles away from flood-prone areas, trees, walls, and loose structures when possible.
Inside:
- Move valuables, electronics, documents, rugs, and low-stored items off the floor.
- Charge phones, laptops, radios, power banks, lights, and backup batteries.
- Keep towels, buckets, mops, and absorbent materials ready for leaks.
- Know how to shut off water, gas, and electricity if needed.
- Keep drinking water separate from cleaning water.
- Fill containers early if water service may be interrupted.
If your home will be vacant during storm season, choose a local contact who can check the property before and after serious weather.
Vehicles, fuel, propane, and backup power
Keep vehicle tanks from running low during active storm periods. Fuel can become scarce when a threat becomes serious.
For propane systems, confirm tank levels ahead of time and refill before a nearby storm creates high demand.
For generators, test the unit early and understand safe operation, fuel use, and the limited loads it can support.
Never use a generator inside a home, garage, covered patio, enclosed room, or near open windows. Generator exhaust can be deadly.
Store fuel safely and only in approved containers. Keep fuel away from living areas, heat, flames, and electrical equipment.
When a storm is approaching
Follow official sources, not rumors or forwarded messages.
- Check updates from Protección Civil, SMN/CONAGUA, NHC, and local authorities.
- Finish errands early.
- Refill fuel and propane before demand spikes.
- Restock water, food, medications, and batteries before stores become busy.
- Bring in or fasten loose exterior items.
- Move valuables and electronics off the floor.
- Close and secure windows, doors, and shutters.
- Prepare a safe interior room away from windows.
- Keep flashlights, phones, medications, water, and shoes nearby.
- Check on neighbors, especially older adults, people living alone, and anyone who may need help preparing.
- Avoid unnecessary travel once roads begin flooding or winds increase.
During the storm
Stay indoors and away from windows, glass doors, skylights, and exterior walls when possible.
Use your safest interior room if winds become severe.
Do not go outside during a calm period. The eye of a storm can create a temporary break before dangerous conditions return.
Never cross a flooded arroyo, bridge, street, or low-water crossing. Water can be deeper, faster, and more destructive than it looks.
Avoid standing water, downed wires, damaged poles, and unstable walls or trees.
Use candles only with extreme caution. Battery lights are safer.
Keep pets indoors and close by.
Conserve phone battery. Use text messages when calls are not going through.
After the storm
Wait for official guidance before traveling. Roads can remain washed out, blocked, flooded, or unsafe after rain and wind have eased.
Check yourself and your household first, then check on nearby neighbors if it is safe.
Watch for damaged structures, broken glass, exposed metal, loose roofing, unstable walls, and weakened trees.
Avoid downed power lines and flooded areas.
Do not enter moving water.
Boil or treat water if authorities say the water supply may be unsafe.
Use generators outdoors only, far from windows, doors, vents, and enclosed spaces.
Document damage with photos or video before cleanup when possible.
Remove pooled water where it is safe to do so. Mosquitoes and other health risks can develop quickly after flooding.
Air out damp areas as soon as conditions are safe. Humidity can quickly lead to mold.
Throw away food that may be unsafe after long power outages.
Before returning to normal use, inspect pools, patios, roofs, driveways, and outdoor surfaces carefully.
Use caution around insects, snakes, or other animals that may have moved because of floodwater.
If services are down for several days
- Conserve water, fuel, battery power, and food.
- Open refrigerators and freezers only when necessary.
- Discard spoiled food once it is no longer safe.
- Use stored water carefully.
- Share information from official sources when you can verify it.
- Help neighbors when it is safe and practical.
- Avoid spreading unconfirmed road reports, shelter information, damage claims, or storm rumors.
Official sources to follow
- Protección Civil Baja California Sur
- Your local municipal Protección Civil office
- SMN/CONAGUA
- National Hurricane Center
- Local police, fire, and emergency services
BajaStorms is an independent local weather information site. During emergencies, always follow official instructions from authorities.