Hurricane Norma nears Mexico as Category 3 storm

Hurricane Norma grew stronger and became a Category 3 storm on Friday as it moved toward one of Mexico's tourism hubs located in Baja California.

The storm comes just a week after Hurricane Lidia hit the country's west coast and killed at least two people.

The hurricane had slightly weakened during the day but gained strength overnight to become a Category 3 storm once again. It is now packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (120 miles per hour), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Norma is expected to make a landfall on Saturday but the NHC said the hurricane's outer bands of rain were already reaching the Baja peninsula — where Cabo San Lucas, a popular resort city, is located.

The eye of the storm has been detected approximately 200 kilometers south of the town.

Gearing up to face Hurricane Norma

Weather experts fear that the heavy rainfall expected on Saturday could trigger flash floods and mudslides in the popular tourist destination. The worst-hit areas around southern Baja are likely to receive up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rainfall.

Authorities have already issued warnings with the NHC saying even Sinaloa state on Mexico's mainland Pacific coast be  affected by the storm once it makes an expected turn to the west on Sunday.

"It's a very strong storm," state Governor Victor Manuel Castro told reporters at a press conference.

Authorities have issued a hurricane warning for the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and ordered the closure of public transport in the evening.

To prepare for the storm, 6,600 soldiers have been put on alert and shelters have been built to accomodate 10,000 people.

Governor Castro has instructed people to stay indoors. "Nobody should leave their house after six, seven in the evening," he said. "Nobody should go out."

mfi/dj (AP, AFP, Reuters)