Hurricane Newton soaks Mexican coast, aims for Los Cabos

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MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Newton strengthened into a hurricane Monday as it drenched parts of western Mexico, causing floods and landslides as it headed toward landfall near the Los Cabos resorts.

Forecasters said it was expected to come ashore Tuesday morning at or near the resort towns on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Rains associated with Newton prompted about 100 people to evacuate their homes and damaged residences in Uruapan in the Pacific coast state of Michoacan, the city government said. Some roads were blocked by flooding and mudslides in the neighbouring state of Guerrero, where some people were evacuated by helicopter. No deaths were reported in either state.

Newton’s maximum sustained winds increased to 75 mph (120 kph) by midafternoon Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. The storm was centred about 215 miles (350 kilometres) southeast of Cabo San Lucas and was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph).

Forecasters said it was on a projected path to the southern tip of Baja, where the twin resorts of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are located. A hurricane warning was in effect for Cabo San Lucas and the nearby coastline.

Newton was expected to cross over the peninsula and enter the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, on Wednesday.

The hurricane centre said the storm was likely to continue north into Arizona as a tropical depression later in the week.

The Associated Press

©2016 The Canadian Press