Nora down to tropical storm while causing flooding in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Hurricane Nora caused floods and landslides along Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday, while making landfall again and passing just inland of the Mazatlan resort area, then veered into the Gulf of California and weakened into a tropical storm.

At least two people were injured and six fishermen were reported missing at sea. Rescue teams were searching for the fishermen, who had left port in Guerrero state Wednesday, said Adm. Julio César Pescina of the Mexican navy.

Communities in the coastal states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco experienced heavy rain and rough surf as the storm moved northward hugging the shoreline. The state government in Jalisco said flooding damaged 500 homes and two people were injured in a landslide.

On Sunday, firefighters and other emergency workers worked to drain water that flooded some streets in the center of Puerto Vallarta, the tourist destination that saw Nora pass by just offshore Saturday night after it cut across the cape just to the south.

Nora had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) at midday Sunday and was moving to the northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). Its center was about 85 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of Mazatlan.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Nora was likely to keep dragging along the mainland shore of the gulf for the next several days, then diminish to a tropical depression and head inland toward the Arizona border region. The storm’s remnants could bring heavy rains by midweek to the U.S. Southwest and central Rockies, the hurricane center said.

The center said some areas along the west coast of Mexico could see rainfall totals from 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) with even more in some spots.