Tropical Storm Javier lost a little strength on Monday evening as it traveled towards the southern part of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
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The storm was centred about 35 miles (55 kilometres) southeast of Cabo San Lucas at midafternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
On the other side of Mexico, authorities prepared as newly formed Tropical Storm Javier churned over the Pacific toward the resort-dotted southern end of the Baja California Peninsula.
Javier, which could strengthen to hurricane status by Monday afternoon, was expected to bring heavy rains and high winds to southwestern Mexico in the coming days, USA weather forecasters said.
Javier was moving northwest, on a path that could take it inland further up the peninsula on Wednesday. Javier’s initial wind speed remains 45 kt for this advisory, which is based on Dvorak classifications of T3.0 and the ASCAT data which showed winds to around 40 kt.Javier will be traversing very warm water and the shear is expected to decrease today, which should allow for strengthening during the next 12 to 24 hours.
Authorities in Cabo San Lucas set up 10 storm shelters, mostly at local schools, and moved families from homes in low-lying areas near streams.
In June 2015, Hurricane Blanca had weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached the Baja peninsula and caused no major damage. The resort was closed to navigation, and some owners of smaller fishing boats were seen pulling them onto shore and hauling them away on trailers.
Among the casualties of Earl, at least 29 people died in multiple mudslides in the mountainous north of Puebla state, state Interior Secretary Diodoro Carrasco, told the Associated Press.
WATCH: Follow the track of Tropical Storm Javier, below.
He said 25 of the dead were in various parts of the township of Huauchinango and three were in Tlaola.
He said rainfall equivalent to an entire month of normal precipitation fell in one night in some areas.
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Earlier, Gabriel Alvarado, mayor of Huauchinango, said that intense rains caused damage affecting at least 200 people.
