Blas (2016)

A tropical wave that moved from western Africa crossed into the eastern North Pacific and organized into a broad low several hundred miles south of southwestern Mexico by 1 July. A tropical depression formed about 1800 UTC 2 July roughly 500 nautical miles south‑southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. The system moved west‑northwest to the south of a mid‑level ridge, became a tropical storm on 3 July, a hurricane on 4 July, and then underwent rapid strengthening to become a major hurricane on 5 July. Blas reached its peak intensity early on 6 July while centered a little over 800 nautical miles southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, then turned northwest and steadily weakened over cooler waters, becoming a tropical storm on 9 July and degenerating to a remnant low by 10–12 July before dissipating about 800 nautical miles east of the Hawaiian Islands.

Blas did not make landfall and produced no coastal warnings; there were no reported landfalls associated with this storm.

The hurricane’s peak sustained winds were 120 knots (about 138 mph) with a minimum central pressure of 947 mb at 0000 UTC 6 July. That peak intensity corresponds to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir‑Simpson scale. After peak, Blas weakened modestly to about 110 kt and then declined more steadily as it moved over cooler ocean temperatures.

Because Blas stayed well offshore, there were no reported storm surge measurements tied to coastal impacts. Rainfall and surge effects on land were not reported in the record; no ship reports of tropical‑storm‑force winds were received. The report does not list specific rainfall totals or surge heights at cities or counties because the cyclone remained far from populated coastlines.

There were no reports of damage or casualties—no direct or indirect deaths—associated with Blas. The regions closest to the cyclone during its life were remote portions of the eastern North Pacific well away from major land areas, so impacts on populated areas were negligible.

Noteworthy items include that the storm’s rapid intensification to a 120‑kt major hurricane was well documented by satellite intensity techniques, and the National Hurricane Center’s track and intensity forecasts for Blas were generally better than recent averages. No coastal watches or warnings were required at any time.