Hurricane Newton to unleash dangerous flooding on Baja California, northern Mexico

By Eric Leister, Meteorologist

September 6,2016; 9:30PM,EDT

 

 

Hurricane Newton will bring dangerous flooding and mudslides to parts of northern Mexico, including in popular tourist locations in Baja California, through the middle of the week.
About 14,000 tourists are in the path of Newton in Baja California Sur, Genaro Ruiz, the state tourism secretary said, according to the Associated Press.
Workers board over a store front in preparation for Hurricane Newton, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Monday Sept. 5, 2016. Authorities at the southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula ordered schools closed and set up emergency shelters as Hurricane Newton gained strength while bearing down on the twin resorts of Los Cabos for a predicted arrival Tuesday morning. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
The cyclone has already unleashed widespread 75-150 mm (3-6 inches) of rainfall along Mexico's western coastline with local amounts approaching 300 mm (12 inches), resulting in flooding and mudslides.
"At this moment there are no reports of people killed or missing due to Hurricane Newton," Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico's civil defense agency, told the AP.
While weather has improved across western Mexico, conditions will deteriorate across the Mexican states of Baja California Sur, Sinaloa and Sonora over the next 24 hours.

Baja California Sur will bear the brunt of Newton's force as the cyclone made landfall near Cabo San Lucas early Tuesday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
Widespread winds of 130 km/h (80 mph) or greater are expected in far southern Baja California Sur. The winds will result in a high risk for power outages and property damage.
This animated GIF shows Newton tracking toward Baja California. (NOAA/Satellite)
Newton will rapidly advance northward, passing just west of La Paz around midday. This movement will result in a second landfall in coastal Sonora early Wednesday morning.
While the storm will be weakening, locally damaging winds will be possible across northern Baja California Sur, southeastern Baja California and western Sonora.

Rainfall totals of 150-300 mm (6-12 inches) are expected across Baja California Sur and western Sonora through Wednesday, with locally higher amounts. Flash flooding and mudslides are likely.
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Mexico Weather Center
East Pacific Hurricane Center
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Flash flooding is also possible in eastern Baja California where localized amounts over 100 mm (4 inches) are possible on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Rain, heavy at times, is expected at times across Sinaloa through Wednesday with the hardest-hit areas receiving more than 150 mm (6 inches) of rain. Flash flooding and mudslides are possible.
Heavy rain and flooding will be possible across parts of the southwestern United States later this week as Newton transitions into a tropical rainstorm and continues to track northward.