MEXICO · WEATHER
Key Facts
- The country Mexico’s Los Cabos, at the tip of Baja California, is a beach resort area popular with US travelers.
- What happened Downpours on Tuesday 27 October swept cars away and forced rescues in Cabo San Lucas; schools shut Wednesday.
- Why it matters Rain reached 60 millimeters (2.4 inches); more is forecast as Tropical Storm Vance weakens to the south.
- What it means for you Check flights, avoid flooded streets and stream crossings, and stay out of rough surf.
- Still open Damage, the number of people rescued and any injuries have not been published by the authorities.
- Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
In Plain English
Los Cabos is the municipality at the southern tip of Baja California, with the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. An arroyo is a normally dry creek bed that fills fast in heavy rain, and a vado is a low crossing through one.
Civil Protection is the local disaster-response service of Mexican states and municipalities, and the SMN is the national weather service. The National Hurricane Center is the US storm-tracking agency in Miami.
Heavy rain on the afternoon and night of Tuesday 27 October flooded Los Cabos, the Mexican resort area at the southern tip of Baja California, and swept cars and some people into fast-moving water. State authorities put the rainfall at 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo and closed schools in both towns on Wednesday 28 October.
No state or municipal statement issued by Wednesday morning reports a death, but none gives a count of people rescued or injured either. Los Cabos draws many US visitors, and its airport operator calls the United States the airport’s main international market.
What Happened
Municipal Civil Protection said in a first report that the cars carried off in the Lagunitas arroyo had no one inside. Local video and accounts from residents describe a man at the Cabo San Lucas marina who was dragged toward the sea, held on to a railing and was pulled out by bystanders.
Cars also stalled at low crossings, and floodwater collected on Prolongación Leona Vicario and in the town center. Crews cleared mud from Avenida Nicolás Tamaral near the Chulavista neighborhood and reopened one of the worst-hit stretches.
The Cabo San Lucas port captain’s office closed the harbor to small vessels from 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and the State Civil Protection Council closed schools on Wednesday. Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez ordered the cleanup, though puddles and runoff remained on the Transpeninsular highway, the peninsula’s main road, near Costa Azul.
Rain and Tropical Storm Vance
The State Civil Protection Council put accumulated rain in Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo at 60 millimeters, about 2.4 inches, citing a weather report that names neither station nor hours. The national forecast issued early Tuesday had expected only showers of 5 to 25 millimeters (0.2 to 1 inch) there.
For Wednesday, the national weather service, known as the SMN, forecast 50 to 75 millimeters (2 to 3 inches) in the south of the state, a band it labels strong rain with locally very strong totals. Municipal Civil Protection expects thunderstorms and unstable weather until about Saturday 31 October.
At 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday local time (11:00 a.m. Eastern), the US National Hurricane Center placed Tropical Storm Vance about 240 miles west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes on the Jalisco coast, well south of Los Cabos, with 40 mph winds and no coastal watches or warnings in effect. Vance is forecast to weaken to a remnant low on Thursday 29 October, with its heaviest rain, 2 to 4 inches, expected over central and southern Sinaloa on the mainland.
Why It Matters
Officials warn people not to cross arroyos and the low crossings called vados while rain continues. Municipal Civil Protection ran a “Safe Crossing” operation at the riskiest points.
Arroyos caused similar emergencies on the night of Thursday 10 September, when Cabo San Lucas firefighters answered six calls during a thunderstorm. The municipality said cars were swept away in two neighborhoods, a person was carried off by the current, and a motorcyclist was rescued at the Lagunitas crossing and taken to hospital.
The rain comes a month after Hurricane Polo made landfall on the Baja California Sur coast, well north of Los Cabos, on 28 September. Related reports in the Mexico section cover the aftermath of Polo and the flooding in Ensenada, in the north of the peninsula, earlier in October.
If You Are in Los Cabos
Do not cross arroyos, low crossings or flooded streets, on foot or by car, and call 911 in an emergency. Stay out of rough surf, because swells from Vance are likely to bring life-threatening rip currents to the southern Baja California Peninsula.
What It Means for You
Travelers should confirm flights with their airline before leaving for Los Cabos International Airport, code SJD, because the website of its operator, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), showed no weather notice on Wednesday morning local time. The US Embassy’s alert page for Mexico listed no alert for Los Cabos or for Vance.
The US State Department’s advisory for Baja California Sur state asks for increased caution because of crime and does not mention this storm. Weather notices come from Mexican agencies and the National Hurricane Center.
Visitors bound for the World Wide Technology Championship golf tournament, with rounds from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November, or the Baja 1000 race, which starts on Friday 13 November, should watch the forecast. Both events are in Los Cabos.
What Is Not Known
Authorities have not published a count of people rescued, injured or displaced, or a figure for damage. The 60 millimeter total comes from a state bulletin that names neither station nor period, and no official statement yet describes the people dragged by the current.
The school closure covers only Wednesday 28 October, so it is not known whether classes resume on Thursday 29 October. How much of Vance’s moisture reaches Baja California Sur will decide how long the unsettled weather lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did anyone die in the Los Cabos floods?
No death appears in the state and municipal statements issued through Wednesday morning. Authorities have not published figures for injuries or rescues.
Is Los Cabos airport open after the rain?
The airport operator’s website showed no weather notice or closure on Wednesday morning. Travelers should still confirm flights with their airline, because unsettled weather is forecast to last for 72 hours.
Is Tropical Storm Vance hitting Los Cabos?
The US National Hurricane Center had no coastal watches or warnings in effect on Wednesday and expects Vance to become a remnant low on Thursday. Its swells are still expected to bring dangerous surf and rip currents to southern Baja California.
What should visitors in Los Cabos do now?
Avoid arroyos, flooded streets and rough surf, and confirm flights with the airline before leaving for the airport. Civil Protection asks anyone in danger to call the emergency number 911.
Sources: Government of Baja California Sur, State Civil Protection Council bulletin, 27 to 28 October 2026; Los Cabos municipality, cleanup release, 28 October 2026; Los Cabos municipality, Civil Protection 72-hour alert, 28 October 2026; Los Cabos municipality, Cabo San Lucas firefighters’ report on the 10 September storm, published 11 September 2026; Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, general forecast notices, 27 and 28 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Vance advisory 29, 28 October 2026; US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Polo advisory 34A, 28 September 2026; Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, airport operator website, 28 October 2026; US Embassy in Mexico, alerts for US citizens, 28 October 2026; US State Department, Mexico travel advisory, Baja California Sur entry, read 28 October 2026; World Wide Technology Championship, schedule of events; SCORE International, Baja 1000 announcement.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief