Sawt Falasteen - Hurricane Hilary weakens but still threatens northwest Mexico, California

The storm weakened Saturday from a powerful Category 4 to Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale -- still deemed capable of "devastating damage" -- with hurricane conditions expected to continue along the Baja California coast through Sunday morning, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Mexican authorities predicted intense rainfall and electrical storms with a risk of flooding along the Pacific Coast and warned residents to take necessary precautions.

By late morning, maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour (205 kilometers per hour) were being reported, with higher gusts, the NHC said.

"The center of Hilary will move close to the west-central coast of the Baja California peninsula tonight and Sunday morning then move across southern California Sunday afternoon and Sunday night," the hurricane center said.

The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical storm before reaching southern California and southern Nevada, with heavy rainfalls and flooding still possible.

Residents and workers in the Mexican tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas have put up protective boarding and laid thousands of sandbags as large waves began crashing ashore.

Military personnel were seen patrolling the beach in the city, a popular destination for both Mexican and foreign tourists.

"We took all the precautionary measures last night," Omar Olvera told AFP on Saturday at the Cabo San Lucas beachfront restaurant where he works.

With sandbags piled protectively around the restaurant, he said, "We're just looking out for the workers and waiting for the weather to come."

The federal electric utility has deployed 800 workers and hundreds of vehicles to deal with eventual electric outages, it said.

In the United States, "rainfall amounts of three to six inches, with isolated amounts of 10 inches, are expected across portions of southern California and southern Nevada," the NHC said.

"Dangerous to locally catastrophic flooding will be possible."

Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer have rescheduled games planned for Sunday in the US region.

Hurricanes hit Mexico every year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Although their remnants sometimes affect California, it is rare for cyclones to strike the state with tropical storm intensity.

M.AbuKhalil--SF-PST