As many as 30,000 mainly foreign tourists have been advised to take refuge in 164 shelters ahead of Hurricane Odile heading towards the Mexican resort area of Los Cabos.
Authorities were evacuating vulnerable coastal areas as the US National Hurricane Centre warned that Odile was on track to pass close to or directly over the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula overnight.
People were warned to stay inside in the safer areas of hotels and keep away from doors and windows.
The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds were 125mph, preceded by heavy rainfall.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Baja California Sur from Punta Abreojos to Loreto.
Mexican authorities declared a maximum alert for areas in or near Odile’s path, and ports in Baja California were ordered closed, the Associated Press reported.
At least 22 flights were cancelled, and some tourists said they were stranded.
Others camped out at the Los Cabos international airport hoping to get out before the storm, but the facility shut down all operations late in the afternoon.
“We are going to be hit, do not risk your life,” warned Marcos Covarrubias, governor of Baja California Sur.