Norma weakens to tropical storm as it nears Mexico's Baja peninsula

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Norma weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon as it approached the southernmost reaches of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. At 2100 GMT, Norma was 220 miles (355 km) south of Cabo San Lucas, a popular tourist destination, and moving north at 3 miles per hour (5 kph), the Miami-based NHC said. The storm, which was previously a Category 1 hurricane, was blowing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (105 kph), the center said. The storm is expected to continue to weaken over the next two days. As it heads north, the storm's center could draw closer to Baja California Sur or head west of the peninsula, the NHC said. Norma could bring as much as 8 inches (20 cm) of rain to the southern part of Baja California Sur, potentially triggering flash floods, according to the NHC. (Reporting by Julia Love; Editing by Mary Milliken)