BAJA PENINSULA - With Hurricane Norbert winding its way along the Baja Peninsula, weather forecasters like Rich Thompson with the National Weather Service are warning of 90mph winds, 20-40% chances of rain, thunderstorms, and the threat of flooding.
Any hurricane of this magnitude is of course a cause for concern for the plethora of growers responsible for Baja's asparagus, bell pepper, cucumbers, green onion, squash, strawberry, and tomato crops.
The Weather Channel is however reporting that the 35 mile wide center of the storm is unlikely to make landfall if it maintains its current path. Together with the likelihood that cooler water temperatures will weaken the storm over the course of the weekend, this makes for some great news for growers.
This will hopefully ensure that Southern California's growers in areas such as Imperial County, Coachella Valley, and San Diego County will remain largely unaffected by the course of the storm.
One thing I do know is that my thoughts will be with the people of the Baja Peninsula and the California coast this weekend as this event plays out.
In another optimistic piece of news, when asked to compare the strength of Hurricane Norbert to Hurricane Marie which affected the coast of Malibu, CA last week, Thompson confidently told the LA Times that "Hurricane Norbert is definitely much weaker than Marie.” With any luck, Hurricane Norbert will pass by North America's West Coast without doing major damage to residents or growers.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further news on Hurricane Norbert and other important weather updates.
