Hurricane Odile Rain, Forecast & Maps Update: Category 3 Storm Brings Heavy Rains, Strong Winds and Flooding [Photos]
Hurricane Odile brought heavy rain and ferocious winds when it made landfall near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on Sunday night.
Most of the southern Baja California Peninsula, along with 10 Mexican states, were affected by the storm and its 125 mph winds, CNN reported. The Weather Channel has outlined the storm system with maps.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reports that Odile had estimated intensity of 125 mph when its center made landfall around 9:45 p.m. PDT Sunday near Cabo San Lucas.
Odile was originally classified as a Category 3 hurricane before it was later downgraded to a Category 2. However, at one point, the wind speed picked up, and it reached a Category 4, USA Today reported.
As a result, many people along Mexico's Pacific Coast were forced to evacuate, and dozens of others became stranded in cars. Odile also caused damage to small buildings, caused power outages for 200,000 people and stirred up waves that reached 24 feet on Mexican shores.
Luis Felipe Puente, the head of the national public safety department, posted a message about the storm on Twitter, saying, "Cabo San Lucas suffered substantial damage, including uprooted trees, downed light posts and broken windows at major hotels and other buildings," reported the Los Angeles Times.
Although there were no immediate reports of deaths, several people were struck by flying glass.
"Odile is expected to track north along the peninsula, weakening in the next few days but delivering heavy rain. Tropical moisture will fill into the Southwestern U.S., bringing a threat of flash flooding this week," CNN reported.
The meteorological service also warned that the storm could bring "landslides, river overflows, cut off roadways, flooding in low-lying areas and saturated sewerage systems in urban zones," the LA Times reported.
"The population is called on to take extreme precautions and remain alert."
AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada reports that the following cities could be affected by the heavy rain, floods and thunderstorms: Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
Flash flooding will also be a problem as the storm is expected to dump 1-2 inches of rain within one hour.
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