Hurricane Newton Update: 2 Dead, 3 Missing As Category 1 Hurricane Batters Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula

Hurricane Newton made landfall on Mexico’s western coast Tuesday morning, dumping heavy rain and killing at least two people, officials said. The Category 1 hurricane, which made its way over the Baja California Peninsula with wind speeds up to 90 mph, also left three people missing.

The bodies of two people were found on a beach, Jose Luis Rios, the captain of the port of La Paz, said, adding that they could have been part of a five-person crew aboard a fishing vessel that was wrecked by the storm, Reuters reported. The three other crew members were missing, Rios added. The boat had set out from the port of Ensenada and was bound for Mazatlan.

On Tuesday night, the storm was around 120 miles southwest of the port of Guaymas, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, adding that it will bring hurricane conditions to the northwest part of the mainland Wednesday morning.

Forecasters believe that Hurricane Newton could drop 1 to 3 inches of rain over parts of Arizona and New Mexico through Thursday, threatening flash floods and landslides.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm is expected to make landfall in Sonora state as hurricane Wednesday morning. However, as it moves forward, the storm is expected to remain in Category 1 or downgrade to a tropical storm.