Hurricane Paul nears Baja California landfall

[NewsCaster]

NASA via AFP - Getty ImagesThis satellite-based image shows Hurricane Paul early Tuesday. By Miguel Llanos, NBC NewsHurricane Paul was close to making landfall in Mexico's Baja California Tuesday, drenching the area with rain but having weakened considerably after reaching Category 3 status Monday night.

"It is raining very hard, there is a lot of wind. It is not the time to go out,"  said Margarito Medina, a civil protection official in the area, told Reuters.

 

Up to 10 inches of rain in some places could trigger flooding or mudslides, the U.S. National Hurricane Center  said, warning the storm would cause dangerous coastal waves.


Mexico issued a hurricane warning from  Santa Fe northward to Punta Abreojos on the country's western Baja peninsula. On the east coast, a hurricane warning stretched from Mulege to San Evaristo.

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