MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Hurricane Olaf was approaching the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Thursday evening where it was expected to make landfall within hours, according to officials.
Olaf, currently a Category 1 hurricane, was about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east southeast of Cabo San Lucas at 7 p.m. local time and blowing maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), according to the U.S.-based National Hurricane Center (NHC)
A Hurricane Warning was in effect for Baja California Sur from Los Barriles to Cabo San Lazaro, the NHC said.
Mexico’s federal water commission CONAGUA said in a statement that Olaf was expected to make landfall between Thursday night and Friday morning as a Category 2 hurricane, hitting the areas around Los Cabos, La Paz and Baja California Sur, home to well-known beaches.
There are no oil installation on Mexico’s Pacific coast but there are tourism destinations.
Olaf was generating heavy rains and cloudiness in the southern tip of the Baja California Sur Peninsula on Thursday.
The Six Two Four Urban Beach Hotel in Los Cabos was giving guests the option of checking out early as Olaf approached, said Iris Montaño, a front desk worker.
“A guest came to ask me about whether it was a safe area,” Montaño told Reuters by phone. “It’s getting a bit windy now.. I couldn’t tell you how many kilometers an hour, but it’s intense.”
A receptionist at the nearby Posada Real Los Cabos hotel told Reuters some guests were getting worried and had canceled their flights.
Olaf is expected to take a slight turn toward the northwest later on Thursday and is forecast to continue moving toward the northwest on Friday, according to the NHC.
The hurricane is expected to weaken on Friday and over the weekend as it moves over land.
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison and Diego Ore; Editing by Sandra Maler)
