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A powerful cylone has swept across Mexico's northwest Pacific coast, tearing off roofs and forcing hundreds of people to flee flooded homes, local authorities say.
One person has gone missing and more than 20,000 homes are without electricity since Hurricane Norbert struck on Saturday.
Norbert, which made landfall as a Category Two hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, came ashore at Puerto Cortes on the Baja California peninsula around 1630 GMT, according to Mexico's national weather service.
It was later downgraded to a Category One storm with winds of 150km per hour.
"A man trying to cross the Miramar creek has been reported as missing after the current swept him away," the authorities in Loreto, one of the Mexican municipalities Norbert tore through, said.
At 0300 GMT on Sunday the eye of Norbert was located about 195km east-northeast of Loreto, the US-based National Hurricane Center reported.
Mass evacuations
Some 2,850 people were housed in temporary shelters.
Forty per cent of homes were totally or partially damaged on the islands of Margarita and Magdalena, mainly having lost their roofs, according to a report from state protection services.
In the Baja California capital of La Paz, the storm knocked out power to 13,000 homes, and to 8,000 more in Ciudad Constitution, the Federal Electricity Commission reported. |
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MEXICO CITY, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Hurricane Norbert weakened to a Category 3 in the Pacific but was still a major hurricane as it headed on Thursday for Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Norbert had maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour (185 km per hour) and is expected to make landfall north of the city of La Paz, likely missing a direct hit on the beach resort of Los Cabos, a popular destination for U.S. tourists.
Norbert is likely to pummel into the agricultural states of Sonora and Sinaloa early on Sunday.
"Some fluctuations in intensity are possible during the next 24 hours. But steady weakening is expected to begin on Friday," the center said.
Tropical Storm Marco pounded Mexico's coast in the Atlantic this week, dumping heavy rains and causing flooding in the state of Veracruz. But Marco caused no major damage to the country's oil and gas installations.
Tropical Storm Julio drenched Baja California, which has no oil installations, in late August but did not cause major damage. |
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By Kristin Jackson
Seattle Times Travel staff
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If you're planning on traveling to Los Cabos or other areas in Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula, in the next few days, watch the weather very carefully. The powerful Hurricane Norbert is approaching the area and could hit on the weekend.
The hurricane is churning across the Pacific and was upgraded to Category 4 (the maximum is 5 on the hurricane scale) Wednesday afternoon with sustained winds of about 135 miles per hour. However, it's unclear how strong it will be when it hits land.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center called it a very dangerous hurricane, but added gradual weakening is expected to start Friday; get updates and forecasts at www.nhc.noaa.gov Those who are traveling during hurricane season should take some precautions.
• Contact your hotel and airline before departing in case of hurricane-related cancellations or closures. Also ask about penalty-free changes if a hurricane threatens; many airlines and hotels allow that.
• Take along your airline's phone number so if a hurricane hits during your trip you can rebook more easily; airport ticket lines can be very long. |
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