Hurricane impacts in the Central Desert of Baja California Norte, Mexico

We observed damage to vegetation related to hurricane Nora in the Central D esert of Baja California Norte, Mexico, during late November 1997. The hurr icane had crossed the Central Desert on September 24-29. In the El Crucero area, the hurricane blew over cirios (Fouquieria columnaris (Kell.) Curran) , cardons (Pachycereus pringlei (S.Wats.) Britt. & Rose), and senitas (Loph ocereus schottii (Engelm.) Britt. & Rose). Of these three, cirios were most frequently blown down. They were taller than the other plants at the site and often had stem or root damage that presumably weakened them, thus makin g them more susceptible. Precipitation that was much higher than normal pro bably soaked the upper soil profile, adding to the susceptibility of the ta ller plants to blowdown. This is the first record of tree blowdown from hur ricanes in desert areas.