Mexico issues hurricane warning for parts of west coast

PanARMENIAN.Net - The government of Mexico issued a hurricane warning Monday, Oct 15, for parts of the west coast of Baja California as Hurricane Paul became a major storm, the U.S. hurricane center said, according to CNN.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane conditions are expected to affect a stretch of coast from Santa Fe, Mexico, to Puerto San Andresito on Tuesday afternoon.

As of 8 pm ET on Monday, Hurricane Paul had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) but forecasters predict it will weaken on Tuesday as it skirts the coast.

The eye of the storm is 360 miles (580 kilometers) from the southern tip of the peninsula, the center said. The storm is moving toward the north-northeast at 13 mph (20 kph).

Some areas may see as much as 8 inches of rain, forecasters predicted.

The same region was hit by Hurricane Jimena three years ago. Jimena reached Category 4 status before striking land as a Category 1.

On its current path, Paul should pass to the west of the popular tourist destination of Los Cabos on the southern tip of the peninsula.