Hurricane weakens to tropical storm

SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico — Hurricane Paul weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday as it headed toward the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, whipping up high surf that left one person dead and another missing in the resort region.

Paul's maximum sustained winds fell to near 45 mph and the storm was expected to weaken further before making landfall south of Los Cabos early Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Forecasters warned, however, that the storm could still dump up to 10 inches of rain in the mountains on Mexico's mainland, causing severe flooding.

Paul's maximum sustained winds had reached 110 mph on Monday, making it a Category 2 hurricane. It was the third hurricane to threaten the Pacific coast's resort areas this season.

At 8 p.m. EDT, Paul was 175 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas on southernmost Baja California, and about 350 miles southwest of Mazatlan on the mainland. It was moving north-northeast at nearly 13 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the tip of Baja California and a tropical storm watch was in effect for the mainland from Mazatlan to Altata.

A 23-year-old Mexican fisherman died Monday after he slipped off rocks being battered by the rough sea in the coastal community of Todos Santos, north of Los Cabos, said Baja California Sur civil defense director Jose Gajon.

Off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, officials were searching for the body of an American man who was swept away by the waves while he was walking along the beach with his wife and sister.

Gilberto Guzman, manager of the SolMar Hotel, identified the missing tourist as John Skoor, 65, of Moses Lake, Washington. Guzman said "an enormous wave" swept Skoor and his sister out to sea late Monday. Hotel staff were able to save the sister.

Known for their rugged beauty, San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are popular with sports fishermen and celebrities and famous for world-class golf courses and pristine beaches flanked by cactus-dotted deserts.

Streets were already flooded with ankle-deep water in Cabo San Lucas, where authorities closed schools and opened eight shelters Tuesday. Tourists were taking the wet weather in stride.

"I'm used to this kind of thing. I spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy so it doesn't bother me," said Keith Howard, 55, of British Colombia, who was walking in cloudy San Jose del Cabo. "I don't plan on going fishing though."