On Saturday, Hurricane Norma made landfall over the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, posing significant flood risks as it continues its path toward the Mexican mainland. Classified as a Category 1 storm, Norma boasts wind speeds of approximately 85 miles per hour, as reported by the National Hurricane Center.
Norma has notably weakened in the past few days, having been classified as a Category 4 storm with wind speeds of 130 miles per hour as recently as Thursday. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm is expected to bring as much as a foot and a half of rain to certain areas of Baja California Sur. This substantial rainfall could result in severe urban flooding and the increased risk of landslides.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a warning stating that Norma is likely to bring life-threatening hurricane conditions and a dangerous storm surge to portions of the southern Baja California Peninsula within the hurricane warning area today and tonight.
As the storm progresses eastward over the Gulf of California and approaches Sinaloa by late Sunday, its wind speeds are anticipated to further decrease. Hurricane Norma made landfall
Weather forecasts indicate that the storm could have wind speeds of approximately 60 miles per hour when it makes a second landfall. Norma is the 14th named storm to develop in the eastern Pacific in the year 2023.