MEXICO CITY – Hurricane Norma weakened slightly but remained a major storm Thursday as it spun off Mexico’s Pacific coast, on a path expected to bring it near Los Cabos at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula by Saturday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that Norma had 120 mph (195 kph) maximum sustained winds and was located about 345 miles (555 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas. The Category 3 storm was moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).
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A hurricane warning was issued for the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, but even a minor deviation from the forecast track would take a weakened Norma toward the mainland of Mexico's western Pacific coast.
The Pacific coast port of Manzanillo was closed to small craft as a precaution, and the government of Baja California Sur state cancelled some classes.
Norma was expected to begin weakening Friday and into the weekend as it neared land. It remained unclear if it would make landfall near Los Cabos, made up of the twin resorts of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, or veer off beforehand and hit Mexico’s Sinaloa state to the east.
Hurricane specialist John Cangialosi, with the U.S. National Hurricane Center, said that Norma’s forecast was challenging. The storm was expected to continue moving north into Saturday, but then slow to a crawl “and should be just kind of hanging out near the southern portion of the Baja California Peninsula.”
The concerns, especially if the storm slowed rather than passing quickly, were significant winds and heavy rain, he said.
In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Tammy was 165 miles (305 kilometers) east-northeast of the Caribbean island of Barbados and moving west-northwest at 10 mph (16 kph). Tammy had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). A hurricane watch was in effect for Guadeloupe, a French overseas department, where the storm is expected around Saturday.
Tammy was forecast to strengthen gradually as it moved toward the Leeward Islands this weekend and could reach hurricane strength by Saturday as it passes Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda.
Hurricane watches were also in effect for the islands of Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy.
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