One of the
more dangerous aspects remaining on Hwy 1 down the Baja is the threat
of flooding.
Often, when in rains in Baja it really rains, to the tune of 4" to 7"
per hour. Hurricanes have provided an even more intense rainfall. When
this occurs the vados, or dry river beads can flood very quickly with
a high volume of water. Sweeping cars and trees before it these flash
floods can claim lives.
The truly dangerous part of this is you may have blue sky above you
as a vado floods in front of you. Always keep an eye on the higher ground,
the hills and mountains around you. Rain falling 20 miles away in such
huge amounts as to cause flooding is usually apparent as very dark clouds
clung to higher elevations.
NEVER try to be the first one across a flooded vado. The hwy. truck
& bus drivers know these roads well and are far heavier than you. Let
them try first, whole semi-trucks have been seen to drift sideways in
the rush of current. Busses will disembark all passengers, have them
claim their luggage and return to the bus. They then open the cargo
area doors and drive through the torrent. The open doors reduce drag
and keeps the bus from being swept down stream. If you are towing a
trailer, forget it! these torrents rarely last long, sometimes a few
hours.
Carry food and water to allow you to survive a few days in your car.
Sometimes flash floods can make an "island" out of the segment of road
you are on preventing you from going forward or back. It is more rare
now, as some of the most dangerous vados have been bridged. Always note
if you have on-coming traffic, particularly trucks & buses. There is
enough heavy trans-peninsular traffic when you don't see it, you notice.
This can mean the road is blocked ahead of you. If you are in an isolated
location you may want to consider turning around and retreating to the
nearest shelter.
Watch for quantities of debris and rocks in the road. During the rains
the geology of Baja Sur can be soft and susceptible to movement. Rock
slides and cut passes should be expected. Culverts can fill and cause
the road bed to erode very quickly. Huge car eating sink holes can develop
in just a few minutes
Foul weather is usually short lived in Baja and storm systems move very
quickly. So if you are impounded by bad weather, relax and enjoy the
moment. We get so few bad weather days in Baja!
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