MIAMI, Sept. 6 (UPI) — Hurricane Newton whipped the twin resorts of Los Cabos early Tuesday in the Baja peninsula, bringing with it the threat of flash floods and mudslides.
The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Newton recorded maximum sustained winds of 75 mph at 2 p.m. PDT Tuesday and is moving north-northwest at 18 mph.
Los Cabos is a popular tourist destination and was said to have about 14,000 tourists Monday night after numerous flight cancellations.
The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for inland areas where the storm is headed.
The NHC’s mid-afternoon update positioned Newton about 140 miles southwest of Guaymas, Mexico, and 415 miles southwest of Tucson, Ariz.
Hurricane Newton was expected to generate up to 12 inches of rain in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, and up to 10 inches in the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, western Nayarit, and Jalisco through Wednesday.
Up to 3 inches are expected to fall in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico through Thursday, as Newton moves toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
“In all of these locations, heavy rain could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous terrain,” the National Hurricane Center said in a statement. “Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are occurring over much of the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula. These hazardous wind conditions will spread northward through this morning within the warning areas. Preparations to protect life and property should have been completed.”
Hurricane Newton is expected to remain a hurricane when it makes a second landfall along the northwestern Mexican coast early Wednesday.
