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LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — A weakening Hurricane Norbert moved parallel to Mexico's Baja California peninsula early Sunday after pounding fishing villages and resorts, damaging more than a 1,000 homes and forcing hundreds to fleet to higher ground.
Norbert grew to Category 3 status earlier in the day but by late Saturday night it had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with winds of up to 85 mph (140 kph). Though staying away from land, it passed near enough to the coast to have drenched fishing villages and resorts, and pound beaches.
The National Weather Service has warned Southern Californians to watch out for flash floods and strong surf because of a Pacific hurricane that is churning north up the Mexican coast. The weather service issued a flash-flood watch from Sunday morning through Monday morning in parts of San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Venustiano Perez, mayor of municipality of Comondu, says high surf and waves broke a contention wall and flooded the fishing village of Puerto de San Carlos.
Perez also says 1,250 houses were damaged and that some of the 2,500 people affected were evacuated to a shelter.
Baja California Sur state Gov. Marcos Covarrubias urged people in vulnerable areas to evacuate and said travelers should stay off highways as the storm passed by. He said most government services would be closed or restricted, and schools in Los Cabos and La Paz were closed on Friday.
Carlos Rincon, the state's civil protection director, says that by Saturday at least 2,000 people had been evacuated from Los Cabos, La Paz and Comondu.
127-w-39-(Tim Maguire, AP correspondent, with Eric Blake, National Hurricane Center specialist)--Hurricane Norbert brings heavy rain to Mexico's Baja California and the Southwestern U.S. AP correspondent Tim Maguire reports. (6 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *127 (09/06/14)££ 00:39
050-a-12-(Eric Blake, hurricane specialist, National Hurricane Center, in AP interview)-"flooding and mudslides"-Eric Blake, with the National Hurricane Center, says Hurricane Norbert may help bring weekend precipitation to the parched southwestern U.S. (watch for dating) (6 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *050 (09/06/14)££ 00:12 "flooding and mudslides"
051-a-07-(Eric Blake, hurricane specialist, National Hurricane Center, in AP interview)-"the big impact"-Eric Blake, with the National Hurricane Center, says Hurricane Norbert is helping push moisture into the southwestern U.S, bringing possible heavy rains in coming days. ((watch for dating)) (6 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *051 (09/06/14)££ 00:07 "the big impact"
APPHOTO CAANR117: A sign warns visitors of high surf as they stand on the jetty protecting Dana Point Harbor on Saturday afternoon Sept. 6, 2014 in Dana Point, California. Hurricane Norbert in Baja California is responsible for the high surf. Norbert weakened Saturday night to a Category 1 storm with winds of up to 85 mph (140 kph). Though staying away from land, it was near enough to the coast to drench fishing villages and resorts, and pound beaches. (AP Photo/The Orange County Register, Nick Agro) (6 Sep 2014)
<<APPHOTO CAANR117 (09/06/14)££
The National Weather Service has warned Southern Californians to watch out for flash floods and strong surf as Norbert churns north up the Mexican coastline. The weather service issued a flash-flood watch from Sunday morning through Monday morning in parts of San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
In Mexico, the mayor of the municipality of Comondu said that high surf and waves broke a contention wall and flooded the fishing village of Puerto de San Carlos.
Baja California Sur state Gov. Marcos Covarrubias urged people in vulnerable areas to evacuate and said travelers should stay off highways as the storm passed by. He said most government services would be closed or restricted, and schools in Los Cabos and La Paz were closed on Friday.
At least 2,000 people were evacuated from Los Cabos, La Paz and Comondu, said the state government's civil protection director Carlos Rincon.
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