As of September 1, 2006, Hurricane John had been lashing the Mexican Pacific coast for several days. The storm system center was remaining offshore and predictions held that it would only briefly come ashore as it clipped the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California on its track up along the Pacific coast. It is unusual for a eastern Pacific hurricane to come ashore without breaking apart into a lesser storm system because of prevailing wind patterns and cold water upwelling along the coast. Hurricane John, however, has managed to run parallel to the Mexican coast for several days. The most powerful hurricane force winds were not over land, but the Category Four hurricane was large enough to bring strong winds and heavy surf to the coastal areas.