Forecasters are warning of days of heavy rain and the potential for life-threatening floods and mudslides as Hurricane Odile moves over the Baja California peninsula in northwestern Mexico.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Monday the storm could drop 15 to 30 centimeters of rain on the resort-packed peninsula before gradually weakening and moving away by late Friday.

The storm made landfall late Sunday near Cabo San Lucas with winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour. The National Hurricane Center said it expects the storm to gradually weaken over the next few days, but that heavy rains and a “dangerous storm surge” could bring significant flooding in some areas.

Thousands of tourists and residents are using shelters to escape the storm, including some set up in the region’s luxury hotels.

Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator for Mexico’s civil protection agency, said authorities had prepared shelters for 30,000 people. He reported early Monday that the storm had knocked out power and downed light poles and trees as it brought winds and large waves.
…