Hurricane Newton approaching Baja California

Baja California is bracing for Hurricane Newton, which started the day as a tropical storm bringing heavy rains to the Mexican states of Michoacan and Guerrero.

The U.S National Hurricane Center said Newton is a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, and it is centered about 160 miles southeast of the Los Cabos resort towns. Forecasters say Newton is expected to hit Tuesday morning, and residents of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo spent Monday putting plywood over their windows and preparing for a possible direct hit, The Associated Press reports. Two years ago, the area experienced a major storm when Hurricane Odile struck as a Category 3, causing billions of dollars in damages and leading to multiple deaths.

Newton is expected to cross over Mexico to the Gulf of California on Wednesday, and will most likely make its way to Arizona later in the week as a tropical depression. In the eastern United States, life-threatening rip currents are being caused by the remnants of former Hurricane Hermine. The National Weather Service said the storm is expected to "meander slowly offshore of the New England coast through Tuesday."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up