Newton was expected to move northwest on Tuesday, with a turn north by nightfall.
Advertisement
Residents stand next to debris of a restaurant in the aftermath of Hurricane Newton in Los Cabos, Mexico, September 6, 2016.
As Arizona’s heaviest rain comes to an end tonight, Hurricane Newton will shift towards New Mexico. “Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are occurring over much of the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula”.
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) – Hurricane Newton swept onto the Gulf of California after slamming the resorts of southern Baja and headed on a path expected to take it to the Mexican mainland by Wednesday morning and then on to the USA border with potentially risky rains for Arizona and New Mexico. The storm broke windows, downed trees and knocked out power, but the area was spared the kind of extensive damage seen two years ago when they were walloped by a stronger storm.
The storm caused a large swell that sunk a shrimp fishing boat between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific ocean, leaving two people dead and three missing, said Los Cabos civil protection director Marco Antonio Vazquez. The boat had set out from the port of Ensenada and was bound for Mazatlan. By evening, the storm had crossed the tourist resort area and was about to head over the Gulf of California. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Newton could cross the peninsula as a hurricane and re-enter the gulf.
Meanwhile on the USA front, Arizona and New Mexico have also received significant amounts of rain overnight, sparking more heavy rainfall and flooding throughout today.
Heavy rainfall of up to 10 inches through Wednesday could trigger “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides”, the Weather Channel reported.
About 14,000 tourists remained in Los Cabos as of Monday night as airlines cancelled flights out as the storm approached, said Genaro Ruiz, the state tourism secretary.
Newton then moved inland, retaining its winds nearly unabated, and by early Tuesday was located about 50 miles (85 kilometers) northwest of Cabo San Lucas. “It was a rough one as you can see”.
Advertisement
Hurricane warnings were in effect for twin resort towns Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo while tropical storm warnings have been issued for areas further north up the coast. But there was calm in the city as firefighters cleaned refuse from the streets during the day, and there were no reported casualties on land. It is now low season, and hotels popular with American tourists were not full, staff said. “I think that we are very fortunate and blessed”.
