Hurricane Patricia weakens to Category 1 storm over Mexico

Hurricane Patricia weakened quickly into a Category 1 storm over southwestern Mexico on Saturday morning, CNN reports.

Authorities had evacuated residents and tourists on Friday in preparation for the Category 5 hurricane, which was said to be the strongest Western Hemisphere storm ever recorded. The National Weather Service has forecasted the storm will weaken further to a tropical storm Saturday before dissipating at night.

The damage seems to be minor compared to that of other strong hurricanes, President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

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"Nonetheless, it is very important that the population stays in the shelters, the security forces will be patrolling to protect their homes," he said. "I repeat, we still can't let our guard down."