Hurricane Pamela weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday as it meandered off Mexico's Pacific coast, though forecasters said it was expected to regain strength overnight and be a hurricane while making landfall near the port of Mazatlan on Wednesday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Pamela's center was about 240 miles (385 kilometers) southwest of Mazatlan at midafternoon Tuesday and was moving north at about 9 mph (15 kph). The storm had maximum winds of about 70 mph (110 kph).
Pamela was forecast to pass south of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula late Tuesday and accelerate toward the coast.
The hurricane center warned of the possibility of life-threatening storm surges, flash floods and dangerous winds around the impact area.
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Pamela was then expected to weaken while crossing over northern Mexico and could approach the Texas border as a tropical depression by Thursday.
The center said remnants of the hurricane could affect parts of the south-central United States "late Wednesday or Thursday."
