LOS CABOS, Mexico – Hurricane Dora weakened early Friday to a Category 2 storm in the Pacific off Mexico, but nearby coastal areas are still on alert.
Its top winds weakened early Friday to 105 mph (165 kph). The Mexican government had a Tropical Storm warning in effect for the southern Baja California peninsula, including resort-dotted Los Cabos.
Dora continued to move gradually away from the coast, but waves generated by the hurricane battered shore communities. The foundations of a small lighthouse about 35 miles (60 kilometers) east of Acapulco toppled Wednesday. About 60 thatch-roofed restaurants on beaches in the area, around La Penitas and La Bocana, were damaged or swept away by the storm.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the center of the hurricane was about 225 miles (365 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes.
Port authorities in Los Cabos ordered a suspension of boat tours and other tourism services near the natural stone Arch, the city’s landmark. Civil protection officials were preparing four shelters at elementary schools in case of any flooding.
The fourth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season was moving northwest at about 9 mph (15 kph) and was forecast to stay offshore. Forecasters said it was expected to continue weakening Friday.
In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Cindy posed no threat to land as it moved eastward even farther out to sea. Tropical Storm Bret has weakened to a tropical depression as it moved away from the Bahamas and stayed well off the U.S. Atlantic coast.
