Paul made landfall over Baja California Sur on September 29, and subsequently moved ashore in Sinaloa the next day.

In addition, Paul was responsible for 24 fatalities and moderate damage in northwestern Mexico, where it made landfall at hurricane strength.

The precursor disturbance to Paul originated from an area of low barometric pressure and disorganized thunderstorms, which was first noted near the Pacific coast of Honduras on September 15.

The depression turned northward in response to a weak steering flow between two high pressure systems—one near Cabo San Lucas and the other west of Central America.

[1] Under the influence of a persistent stationary trough near California, the remains of the depression retraced westward back over the open waters of the Pacific.

Though it was reconsidered a tropical cyclone, its wind circulation was poorly defined; the depression again degenerated into an open trough at 0000 UTC September 22.

From 1800 to 2100 UTC on September 29, the eye of the hurricane made landfall along Baja California Sur, moving ashore less than 100 mi (160 km) south of La Paz near San José del Cabo.

After weakening slightly inland, Paul briefly reemerged over water and subsequently made its final landfall near Los Mochis, Sinaloa with winds of 100 mph (165 km/h).

[1] Tropical cyclone advisories were discontinued shortly thereafter,[2] though exact information on the storm after it moved inland is unavailable due to a lack of data completion in the hurricane database.

[3] An alert was issued for the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa and Baja California Sur; army and navy units were on standby in case of an emergency.

[7] Wind gusts estimated at 120 mph (195 km/h) swept through San José del Cabo, causing property damage and subsequently leaving 9,000 homeless.

[38] The greatest damage occurred 70 miles (110 km) south of Los Mochis in the city of Guamuchil;[1] some houses suffered total destruction, while many other had their roof blown off.

Sugar cane, tomato, and rice crops also sustained damage from the hurricane, and in its wake the state's corn production was down by 26 percent from the previous year.

[1] The remnants of Paul moved into the United States, producing heavy rainfall in southern New Mexico and extreme West Texas.