Hurricane Norma makes landfall in northwestern Mexico

Mexico City, Oct 21 (EFE).- Category 2 hurricane Norma made landfall Saturday in Baja California Sur, in northwestern Mexico, reported Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN).

The director of the Mexican National Water Commission (Conagua), Germán Martínez, posted on his social networks that “the center of Hurricane Norma made landfall today at 11:00 a.m. (17:00 GMT) south of the city of Todos Santos, in the municipality of La Paz, Baja California Sur”.

According to the latest meteorological report, the phenomenon, which became a tropical storm on Tuesday, has sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour with gusts of 195 kilometers per hour and is moving north at 13 kilometers per hour.

The rains “could raise the levels of rivers and streams, causing landslides and flooding,” the SMN warned.

In addition, wind gusts of 120 to 140 kilometers per hour, the possible formation of waterspouts and waves of 7 to 9 meters high are forecast along the coasts of Baja California Sur, and wind gusts of 90 to 110 kilometers per hour and waves of 4 to 6 meters high along the coasts of Sinaloa.

The hurricane could make two landfalls in Mexico, first on the Baja California peninsula and then next week on the Sinaloa mainland, the Mexican government warned Thursday.

Norma, the fourteenth named cyclone of the season in the Pacific, follows last week’s double whammy of Lidia and Max, which killed five people.

But the deadliest of the season was Hillary, which killed four people in northern Mexico in August.

The Mexican government predicted in May the formation of up to 38 named hurricanes in the 2023 season, five of which could hit the country. EFE

ppc/ics