Hurricane Liza caused the worst natural disaster in the history of Baja California Sur. The seventeenth tropical cyclone, thirteenth named storm, and eighth hurricane of the 1976 Pacific hurricane season, Liza developed from an area of disturbed weather southwest of the Mexican coast on September 25. Slowly intensifying, the system attained tropical storm strength the following day. In favorable conditions, Liza continued to intensify, reaching hurricane strength on September 28 after developing an eye. The hurricane peaked in intensity as a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on September 30, with winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of . Liza weakened as it moved northward into the Gulf of California. Shortly thereafter, the hurricane made its second landfall north of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, with winds of , making it one of 17 storms to make landfall as major hurricanes in the basin. Inland, the hurricane rapidly weakened and dissipated on October 2.
Prior to the arrival of Liza, residents along the Gulf of California coastline were evacuated, although some refused to leave their homes. Radio stations warned all nearby ships to remain at harbor. Liza brought heavy rainfall to the area, which caused significant flash flooding. Following a dam burst by the El Cajoncito Creek along the outskirts of La Paz, hundreds of people were swept away by flood waters. In La Paz, the capital of the state, 412 people died and 20,000 were left homeless. Nearly one third of the homes in the town were destroyed. Throughout the state, a variety of death tolls were reported, but officials estimated that 1,000 people had perished. In the states of Sinaloa and Sonora, Liza caused moderate damage and left 30,000 to 54,000 homeless, along with 155 more casualties. Along the Gulf of California, 108 people were presumed dead after 12 boats were lost. The remnants of the storm later affected the United States, bringing moderate rainfall
In the aftermath of the storm, rescue workers spent days digging through mud to find victims of the hurricane until the search was disbanded on October 6. The government received criticism for the tragedy, citing that the dam that broke had been poorly built. Overall, at least 1,263 fatalities and $100 million (1976 USD) in damage are attributed to the hurricane, making it one of the deadliest tropical cyclones on record in the eastern Pacific, as well as one of the few Pacific hurricanes to kill more than 1,000 people.
Meteorological history
Hurricane Liza originated from a very large area of intense thunderstorms that developed about southwest of the Mexican coast on September 25. Later that day, satellite imagery indicated that the system had developed a cyclonic circulation. It is estimated that a tropical depression developed at 1800 UTC on September 25, centered about east-northeast of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero. The depression gradually intensified as it tracked west-northwestward, and became Tropical Storm Liza at 1800 UTC on the following day. Thereafter, Liza turned to the north at and began to strengthen while moving through sea surface temperatures of . Within 48 hours of the storm's formation, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center (EPHC) reported winds of , and Liza intensified into a hurricane early on September 28. Around this time, the hurricane had developed an eye that was in diameter, though it was initially not visible on satellite imagery. Operationally, however, Liza was not upgraded to a hurricane until 18 hours later.
During the afternoon hours of September 28, a Hurricane Hunters aircraft made its first flight into Liza, recording a minimum barometric pressure of ; despite the low pressure, maximum sustained winds of just were reported. Hours later, a second flight into the hurricane revealed winds of and slightly lower pressures. Liza continued to intensify, attaining winds of by early September 29. Later that morning, the hurricane reached Category 2 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). By midday, Hurricane Hunters recorded a pressure of as the eye became visible on infrared satellite imagery, prompting the EPHC to upgrade Liza to a major hurricane, a Category 3 or higher on the SSHWS.