Officials reported that when Hurricane Olaf made landfall on Thursday, it brought greater gusts and heavy rainfall to the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
According to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, Olaf made landfall near San Jose del Cabo at 10:00 p.m., with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (155 kilometers per hour).
According to the National Hurricane Center, a hurricane warning was issued for Baja California Sur, Mexico, from Los Barriles to Cabo San Lazaro. Rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 cm to 25 cm) is expected, with a high of 15 inches (38 cm) in certain locations, causing life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.
Olaf may likely intensify to a Category 2 hurricane overnight as it made landfall, striking the districts near Los Cabos, La Paz, and Baja California Sur, which are known for their beaches, according to Mexico's federal water body CONAGUA.
Los Cabos authorities reported fallen trees and power disruptions. For some evacuations in high-risk locations, shelters have been set up. On Mexico's Pacific coast, there are no oil installations, but there are tourist attractions.
According to the National Hurricane Center, hurricane conditions were spreading across the southern part of Baja California Sur.
As Olaf neared, the Six Two Four Urban Beach Hotel in Los Cabos offered guests the option of checking out early, said Iris Montaño, a front desk employee.
"A guest came to ask me about whether it was a safe area," Montaño said over the phone to Reuters. "It's becoming a little blustery now... I'm not sure how many kilometers per hour I'm going, but it's a lot."
According to a receptionist at the adjacent Posada Real Los Cabos hotel, some frightened guests had canceled their flights.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Olaf was anticipated to continue moving northwest through Friday before turning west at night and toward the southwest by Saturday night.
As it travels over land, the hurricane is projected to weaken on Friday and into the weekend.
