Hurricane Newton makes landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast

BBC Weather Stav Danaos looks at the potential impacts of Hurricane Newton as it moves towards Baja California and northwest Mexico.

Hurricane Newton has made landfall in western Mexico near the popular tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas.

The US National Hurricane Center said hurricane-force winds were spreading over Baja California Sur.

The Center registered maximum sustained winds of 150km/h (90mph).

Forecasters earlier predicted torrential rains and possible flash flooding and the Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning for mainland Mexico from Guaymas to Bahia Kino.

The same weather system triggered more than thirty mudslides in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Dozens of people had to be airlifted from a rain-swamped housing complex in Acapulco.

Late on Monday, overcast skies in the Los Cabos municipality gave way to heavy rain and the wind was building in strength.

Twelve shelters opened and motorists queued to fill their cars with fuel ahead of the hurricane's arrival.

AP
Shop owners were boarding up their store fronts ahead of the hurricane
AP
Drivers queued for petrol in Cabo San Lucas as the storm approached
EPA
Newton caused flooding in Benito Juarez and other towns
AFP
The storm has already flooded roads in Acapulco, Guerrero state

Newton reached hurricane strength over the Pacific on Monday.

Over the weekend, the US state of Florida was battered by Hurricane Hermine, before it weakened to a post-tropical storm and drifted off the US east coast.