Hurricane Juliette barreled toward Mexico's southwestern coast Wednesday, triggering floods and high seas that were blamed for the death of a fisherman. The Category 4 hurricane was centered about 370 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California, and was racing mainly westward at about 9 mph. Juliette, with winds of 140 mph, was expected to drop heavy rains on southern Baja late Wednesday. Dangerous surf conditions were likely to affect the coastal areas of southwestern Mexico, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Hurricanes feed off low-pressure cells over warm ocean waters.
Heavy rain associated with Juliette flooded more than 200 homes in the western Pacific state of Michoacan, and the Mexican army sent transport and rescue aircraft, medical teams and emergency supplies. Rain-swollen rivers knocked out two bridges in Oaxaca state, farther east. The storm's outer rain bands already had caused flooding and downed trees in southern Mexico. A fisherman died near Acapulco when his small open boat capsized in high seas on Monday, the government news agency Notimex reported. Several southern Pacific ports were closed due to high seas, and heavy rain warnings were posted for most of the southern Mexican coast.