Hurricane Bud Weakens, Should Be Tropical Storm by Landfall

Hurricane Bud weakened to a Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean more than 200 miles off the coast of Mexico on Tuesday, and should be a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

With maximum sustained winds of some 125 miles per hour (201 kilometers per hour), Bud was barreling towards the popular beach resorts of Los Cabos on the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula, the Miami-based NHC said.

By Wednesday night, Bud should have weakened to below hurricane strength and is expected to reach the peninsula by late Thursday or early Friday, the NHC said.

No coastal warnings were in effect.

By mid-morning on Tuesday, Bud was moving towards the northwest at around 6 mph (9 km/h) and was around 325 miles (523 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas.

Through Thursday, the storm is expected to dump rainfall of 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm) across much of southwestern Mexico, with up to 10 inches in some areas.

The heavy rain could cause deadly flash floods and mudslides, the NHC said.

(Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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