Norbert has become a major hurricane with winds near 185km/h, as it churns towards Mexico’s tourist destination of Baja, California, the National Hurricane Centre said on Wednesday.
The NHC’s five-day forecast showed Norbert, currently located in the Pacific Ocean about 470 miles (755 kilometers) south of Baja’s southern tip, striking the peninsula at hurricane strength late Friday or early Saturday.
”Additional strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours,” the NHC said.
Currently category three, Norbert could reach category-four status — with winds above 210km/h — as it plows west-northwest, then turns north on Thursday.
It is likely to weaken early on Friday, but could still approach the slender peninsula as a category two or three hurricane, the NHC said.
”While it is still premature to say what kind of impact Norbert may have on Baja, California, interests in the area, especially the southern peninsula, should monitor the progress of Norbert,” the centre said.
Southern Baja California includes the state capital of La Paz and the resort centers of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.
The 1 100km-long peninsula in north-western Mexico abuts the US state of California and is mostly separated from mainland Mexico by the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.
Norbert is forecast to cross the peninsula, then head across mainland Mexico as it weakens and strike the US states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona as a tropical depression. – AFP
