Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for southern Baja California in Mexico, as powerful Hurricane Odile heads toward the peninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has downgraded Odile to a strong Category 3 storm, with top sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour.

But it says the storm could re-strengthen into a Category 4 before making landfall Sunday night or Monday. It urges people to prepare to secure life and property as quickly as possible.

Forecasters predict Odile will bring as much as 38 centimeters of rain in some of the more mountainous regions.

They also warn of large and destructive waves, significant coastal flooding, and life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
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