I cannot believe the first half of 2026 is already done and in the books!
May and June flew by in the blink of an eye. Both months felt like we were constantly busy as we were in preparation mode (more on that below) and worn out because of the heat. May was an unusually hot month for us with what seemed like heat wave after heat wave. It was so hot for so long we actually though that spring was done and we were going to have to deal with the heat of summer going forward… that is, until June arrived.
The first Friday in June, out of nowhere, a cool breeze blew in after dinner and our temperature dropped from 35C (95F) to 23C (73F) within a couple of hours. The following week was so nice and cool, cool enough not to have to run the AC day or night.
Unfortunately the cool breeze didn’t last long, and the heat returned for the second half of the month, with a huge heatwave the last week of June that sent our temperatures soaring up to 40C (105F).
So here we are… hot and sweaty and ready to catch you up on what we have been doing for these past couple of months….
Storm season for the Eastern Pacific officially began May 15 and will end November 30, however, most storms that affect the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula (where we live) usually appear between August and October.
This season has started out exceptionally strong for southern Mexico and Central America, with three named storms arriving early in June. Tropical Storm Amanda formed June 2 in the Pacific and headed west, then five days later Tropical Storm Boris formed off the southwestern coast of Mexico, followed the next day by Tropical Storm Cristina off the Pacific side of Central America. Both Boris and Cristina caused major damage and dumped torrential rain throughout southern Mexico and Central America.
Both NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and SMN (Mexico’s Servicio Meteorologico Nacional) have forecast the 2026 Eastern Pacific Hurricane season to be above-normal (normal being on average 15 named storms) predicting this year will have 18-21 named storms, broken down as follows:
9-10 Tropical Storms
5-6 Hurricanes (Cat 1-2)
4-5 Major Hurricanes (Cat 3 or higher)
Contributing to this above-average storm season is the fact that the Pacific Ocean is significantly warmer than usual. Right off the coast of Cabo, the local sea temperatures are currently fluctuating between 25C to 29C (76F to 84F), and the Mexican South Pacific is already recording temperatures as 30C to 32C (86F to 90F). The ocean is heating up, and the ocean temperatures will only continue to rise throughout the summer.
Warm ocean water is the primary fuel for storms. While higher sea temperatures don’t necessarily create a greater number of storms, they significantly increase the intensity of hurricanes, causing them to develop stronger winds, produce heavier rainfall and rapidly intensify.
Also contributing to this above-normal season is the arrival of El Nino. The effects of El Nino are different for different regions – places that don’t normally get much rain can get a lot of rain, and places that are normally wet, end up being dryer than normal.
There is also a 63% chance that this El Nino will develop into a “Super El Nino” predicted to emerge in late summer and peak in the fall or winter. A “Super El Nino” is known to supercharge extreme weather events and push global temperatures to record highs.
Super El Ninos do not happen often – there have been only five since 1950, the last one taking place in 2015 where the Pacific had the second-most active hurricane season on record, only behind the 1992 season. In 2015, there were a total of 26 named storms, 16 storms became hurricanes and 11 storms further intensified into major hurricanes (Cat 3 or higher).
So…. What exactly does this mean for us??
It means we have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
After living through five hurricane seasons now, we have a pretty good handle on how to prepare for them. And since this season looks like it may be more active, we have taken some extra preparations to minimize possible damage and disruption during these storms.
Last November we had all the cracks in the outer walls of our condo sealed.
In April we replaced all our window seals as they started to disintegrate due to
some of the extreme heat we have been having.
In May, we packed up our patio tiles and took down the patio curtains.
In July we will bring in the patio furniture to store for the season as well.
We had all our AC units cleaned and tested to make sure they are running efficiently. To give access to the AC guys, we have to move our furniture away from the wall so they can reach the AC unit.
Our generator maintenance is scheduled for mid-July to make sure our generator is ready for any power outages that may arise.
Last fall we bought a small chest freezer to be able to store some premade meals for when storm season is here. During May and June we spent time making soups and casseroles to have ready if we cannot get out to the grocery store. Our stove/oven runs on propane so even with the power out we can still “heat and eat”.
And finally, our HOA is in the process of having the condo rooftops resealed to prevent leakage. The last time they were resealed was May 2023… and now that storm season is here, we are hoping the job will be scheduled sooner rather than later.
In addition to all these preventative preparations, we also have a checklist of things we need to prepare when an official Hurricane Watch has been issued:
- Arrange for the rooftop propane tank to be topped up (this powers our generator)
- Refill our empty drinking water “garrafones” (20-liter/5-gallon bottles)
- Run a load of laundry
- Fill the car up with gas
- Get cash from the bank
- Charge all electronics
- Refill prescription medications to have two months on hand
- Top up non-prescription medications (Advil/Tylenol etc)
- Make a quick grocery run
- Advise our appointed family member of expected storm and report updates to them.
And when the storm arrives… we simply have to close up all the windows, seal the hurricane shutters, then find a comfy spot to hunker down to wait it out and hope for the best.
Where we share some of the little things we’ve been up to…
Lorne took this photo halfway through cleaning the solar panels on the roof. Accumulated dust and dirt can have a big impact on the power output. Living in the desert, there is so much dust, we have to clean the solar panels minimum every two weeks.
We had a visitor…. spotted a little gecko crawling down our patio window. They like to hang out on our window behind the storm shutter in search of the moths who are drawn to our living room lamp. (Please ignore how dirty our window is.. LOL!)
We have a new neighbour moving in next door. This is a rental unit and has been vacant for quite a while. We see they put up extra patio lights, so most likely there will be some fun parties happening in the future.
What a sunset!! This occurs every so often when the clouds and the Cabo dust align in perfect unison. It’s the only thing all this Cabo dust is useful for… LOL!
Movie night! Lights are dimmed, popcorn is ready and we are settled in for Saturday night at the movies. Showing this night… Young Frankenstein.
Where we give you a glimpse into what we are doing currently…
Movies / TV Shows
New, new to us, and old favourites that we’ve enjoyed watching this month…
- Barefoot in the Park
- My Cousin Vinny
- Our Souls at Night
- Remarkably Bright Creatures
- Something about Mary
- Song Sung Blue
- Young Frankenstein
- 9-1-1
- 9-1-1 Nashville
- Devil’s Hour
- Hacks
- NCIS
- NCIS Origins
- The Boroughs
Books
What we’ve been reading on the weekends…
Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella (Shari)
A heartbroken Lottie impulsively marries her teenage sweetheart, Ben, after an unexpected breakup. Convinced this rebound is a disaster, Lottie’s sister, Fliss, and Ben’s friend, Lorcan, hatch chaotic schemes to sabotage the honeymoon and prevent the marriage from ever being consummated.
Review: This book was written in alternating viewpoints of the two sisters, Lottie and Fliss and it was truly interesting to see everything from both their perspectives and how they dealt with it. It was funny, fast-paced and silly. A total easy, light-hearted read.
My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (Shari)
Katie Brenner, a young woman in London whose seemingly glamorous, curated life on Instagram masks the harsh reality of her crushing commute, tiny apartment, and nightmarish boss, Demeter Farlowe. After being unexpectedly fired, Katie is forced to move back to her family’s rural farm in Somerset, where her former boss eventually shows up as a guest.
Review: To come… still reading it.
(Note: Some may have noticed a theme here, that I seem to be reading only Sophie Kinsella books, which I am. I have read many of her books over the years and decided a while ago to read (or re-read) all her books in chronological order. She wrote 21 stand alone novels – the first seven under her real name, Madeleine Wickham – plus the best-selling Shopaholic series of 10 novels. In 2024 her last-ever novel What Does It Feel Like? was selected as one of New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of the Year. That same year, she revealed she had glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She passed away in December 2025).
The Ruins of Mars by Dylan James Quarles (Lorne)
While a pair of satellites are orbiting Mars carrying out survey imaging, they discover what looks like the ruins of an ancient city buried in the sand. This prompts the building of mankind’s first interplanetary spaceship to bring a small band of explorers, astronauts, and scientists to Mars to check it out in-person.
Review: I haven’t quite finished it yet, but… I am really enjoying this book. If you have ever watched For All Mankind, it has a similar vibe of pushing near-future technology to its limits to accomplish a never-before-attempted journey. It portrays aspects of space travel, including inter-personal relationships, technological challenges, all while being isolated in a closed environment so far from home and so far from any possible assistance, without any of the “special effects alien shootout” fluff that many people associate with sci-fi.
Food
Tried and true as well as new…
Fish Tacos for weekend brunch. Not authentic Baja fish tacos, but instead budget friendly fish tacos using frozen fish sticks. Cabbage slaw in the bottom with avocado crema on top, all wrapped up in a fresh corn tortilla.
Carrying on with our local food dupes, grilled chicken with esquites aka Mexican street corn. Grilled corn with mayo, crema, lime juice, chili powder, jalapeno, cilantro and cotija cheese.
It’s been a while since I’ve had sweet potatoes, but they are making the rounds on social media lately so decided it was time to make some. Beautifully caramelized on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Even Lorne, who has never liked sweet potatoes, loves these and we make them weekly now.
Lorne always has a hard time finding chips he likes here in Cabo (everything is either “queso” or “xtra flamming hot”) so it was very exciting when the stores brought in some new chip varieties for the FIFA World Cup parties. Sabritas (Mexico’s version of Lay’s) offered up three new flavours – American Brisket, Maple Syrup and Bacon, and Tacos al Pastor. And Pringles had a six-pack party case which included Mexican Street Corn, Loaded Potato Skins, Salt & Vinegar, Pizza, BBQ and Cheddar & Sour Cream.
Love the food porn – more pics please!