As a Category 1 hurricane, Hurricane Norma struck Mexico’s northwest coast on Saturday afternoon, bringing with it potentially fatal rain and flooding, according to officials.
About 25 kilometers (15 miles) northwest of the Baja California tourist town of Cabo San Lucas, the storm made landfall. As it got closer to land, it weakened from a Category 3 hurricane.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), as of 2100 GMT, Norma was packing winds of up to 130 kph and was moving northeast at 9 kph.
Up to 45 centimeters (18 inches) of rain were predicted by the NHC for Norma, which would cause “flash and urban flooding, along with mudslides in areas of higher terrain.”
“Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” would affect the coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico and Baja California Sur for the next couple of days.
Hotel employees in Cabo San Lucas urged guests to stay indoors until authorities give the all-clear, Gustavo Matamoros, a hotel worker, told AFP.
Local authorities say about 60,000 tourists are staying in the area, most of them international visitors.
Footage from Milenio TV showed flooded streets as Norma arrived. No casualties have been reported by authorities.
As Norma approaches the Mexican west coast on Sunday, it should continue to weaken into a tropical storm.
Hurricane Lidia hit the western states of Jalisco and Nayarit last week, killing two people.
