Tropical Storm Norma strengthens into hurricane as it makes its way to Mexico

Mexico City: Tropical Storm Norma has strengthened into a hurricane over the Pacific Ocean on a route that should take it to the Los Cabos resorts at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula by late Sunday or Monday. [caption id=“attachment_2453164” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] The US National Hurricane Center said Norma was centered about 435 kilometers south of Cabo San Lucas. It had winds of 120 kph and was edging north-northwest at about 4 kph. The center said swells generated by Norma will begin affecting portions of the coast of southwestern Mexico and Baja California Sur on Saturday and continue into early next week. A person was missing and about 200 homes were reported damaged by water or wind in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero after Hurricane Max hit land east of Acapulco. Guerrero governor Hector Astudillo tweeted late Thursday that the disappearance and the damaged homes were in San Marcos, a township east of the resort city of Acapulco that lay in the storm’s path. Max degenerated into a broad area of low pressure Friday, according to the US National Hurricane Center, but its remnants were still capable of dumping heavy rains over Guerrero and western Oaxaca states.