One of two hurricanes churning over the Pacific Ocean early Wednesday could bring heavy rain and perhaps “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides” to Mexico’s Baja California peninsula later in the week, though possibly as a tropical storm, forecasters said.
Hurricane Lorena just hit hurricane strength, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said but “rapid strengthening” is likely through tonight. Then, the center said, “Fast weakening is expected to begin on Thursday, and Lorena could weaken back to a tropical storm by Friday.”
The center said that as of 4 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Lorena was about 120 miles south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and some 275 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lazaro, Mexico and moving northwest at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph — barely hurricane status.
Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 10 miles from Lorena’s center and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward as far as 60 miles.
NOAA
A second hurricane — Kiko — was much stronger and farther west but was posing no threat to land.
Maps show Hurricane Lorena’s forecast path
The center of Lorena is forecast to “move parallel to the west coast of the Baja California peninsula today and Thursday and then approach the coast Thursday night and Friday, according to the hurricane center.
NOAA 
Warnings issued due to Hurricane Lorena
Mexico’s government posted a tropical storm warning for Baja California Sur’s west coast from Santa Fe to Cabo San
Lazaro, and a tropical storm watch for Baja California Sur’s coast north of Cabo San Lazaro to Punta Abreojos.
Hurricane Lorena’s possible impact
Parts of Baja California Sur and far southeast Baja California could get five-to-ten inches of rain with as much as 15 inches through Friday, the hurricane center. “This will bring the risk of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially in areas of higher terrain,” the hurricane center stressed.
Hurricane Kiko much stronger but not seen as threat to land
Hurricane Kiko was already a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph early Wednesday and was forecast to get even stronger and become a major hurricane later in the day, the hurricane center said. That would make it a Category 3, with maximum sustained winds between 111 and 129 mph.
But the center said Kiko wasn’t expected to hit land.
As of 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Kiko was some 1,700 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii and moving west at 7 mph, the center said.
