Hurricane Blanca nears Mexico’s Baja California peninsula

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – A powerful Hurricane Blanca roared toward Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula today, as authorities put thousands of troops on alert and businesses boarded over windows ahead of its arrival.

The unpredictable storm strengthened rapidly to a Category 4 storm on Saturday before weakening to Category 3, and forecasters said it should weaken to a Category 1 hurricane today as it nears Mexico’s coast.

It is expected to make landfall on Baja California’s southwestern coastline Monday as a tropical storm. But the director of Mexico’s National Water Commission, Roberto Ramirez, said he was concerned about Blanca’s “erratic” behavior and warned residents along the coast to be prepared for intense rains.

In Baja California, 2,000 army troops and 1,321 marines have been put on alert, as well as emergency responders and power line technicians, said Civil Protection director Luis Felipe Puente.

He said there is currently a 70 percent hotel occupancy rate in Los Cabos and warned tourists to be attentive to any advisories issued by authorities.