The storm initially struggled to organize due to strong wind shear, but once this abated, the system took advantage of high sea surface temperatures and ample moisture.

Blanca gradually recovered from this and briefly regained Category 4 status on June 6 as it moved generally northwest toward the Baja California peninsula.

The system initially drifted northwest along the edge of a weak ridge; however, steering currents soon collapsed and left the depression to meander in the same general region for four days.

Other factors, including a moist atmosphere and sea surface temperatures of 86 °F (30 °C) presented favorable conditions for development once the shear relaxed.

[2] Formation of a central dense overcast on June 1 marked the transition into a tropical storm,[3] at which time the system was assigned the name Blanca.

[7] Reaching major hurricane intensity by 12:00 UTC on June 3, Blanca marked the earliest occurrence of a season's second such storm on record.

[1] Given continued favorable conditions, forecasters at the NHC predicted Blanca to achieve Category 5 status—the highest ranking on the scale, indicating winds in excess of 156 mph (251 km/h).

The hurricane's persistence over the same location for several days resulted in tremendous upwelling of cooler waters, with temperatures underneath the storm falling from 30 to 21 °C (86 to 70 °F).

[12] During this period, a mid-level ridge north of the hurricane moved east and allowed Blanca to acquire a steady northwest track.

[1][12] Aided by impressive outflow,[13] the hurricane regained Category 4 status by 12:00 UTC, marking its secondary peak intensity with winds of 130 mph (215 km/h).

[14] Increasing wind shear accelerated the rate of weakening, causing Blanca's mid- and low-level circulation centers to decouple.

[1] With deep convection no longer present,[16] the depression degraded into a remnant low early on June 9 over the central Baja California peninsula before dissipating hours later.

[1] On June 3, precautionary alerts were raised across the southern Baja California Peninsula and much of Western Mexico, due to potential impacts from the hurricane.

[17] Two days later, the Government of Mexico issued a tropical storm watch for parts of Baja California Sur before upgrading it to a warning on June 6.

[25] Sinaloa experienced similar effects, with strong winds downing many trees and tearing apart billboards, primarily in Los Mochis and Guasave.

[26] The remnants of Blanca, aided by an unusually late-season coastal low, later brought several days of scattered thunderstorms to the Southwestern United States.

[29] Maricopa and Taft received 1.5 in (38 mm) of rain in 30 minutes, triggering flash flooding that stranded vehicles and prompted the temporary closure of State Route 166.

[36] In Six Mile Canyon in Nevada, near the border of Lyon and Storey counties, 1.13 in (29 mm) of rain fell in an hour, resulting in flash flooding.

[37] The normally dry Pine Nut Creek in Dresslerville rose 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) in a short period of time, inundating nine homes and covering low water crossings.