Hurricane Norbert has hit Mexico's Baja California peninsula, blowing roofs off buildings, knocking down trees and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate flood-prone areas.
Norbert blew across the peninsula near the city of La Paz yesterday as a Category 2 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph) before entering the Gulf of California and losing strength, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The storm made landfall for a second time as a weaker Category 1 hurricane, the agricultural states of Sonora and Sinaloa with heavy rains and sustained winds as high as 85 mph (140 kph).
Norbert was not expected to cause any damage to mining interests in northern Mexico.
As Norbert moved across Baja California, it avoided a direct hit on the beach resort of Los Cabos, a popular destination for U.S. tourists.
Rescue authorities have evacuated Mexicans from houses made of wood and sheet metal in low-lying areas in danger of flooding.
Tropical Storm Odile, south of Norbert in the Pacific, moved north-west along Mexico's coastline near the port of Manzanillo, threatening to dump rain and putting the region at risk of flash floods and mudslides.
Odile's winds reached 40 mph (65 kph) but should begin to weaken soon, the hurricane center said.
Reuters