Hurricane Orlene has made landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast near the tourist town of Mazatlan before quickly weakening over land into a tropical depression.
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Electrical cables swayed and sent off showers of sparks in the town of El Rosario, about 65 kilometres south of Mazatlan, close to where the hurricane hit on Monday..
Authorities did not immediately report any damage, but along the coast they suspended classes, closed seaports and set up shelters.
Orlene lost some strength after roaring over the Islas Maria, a former prison colony being developed as a tourist draw. The main island is sparsely populated, mainly by government employees, and most buildings there are made of brick or concrete.
The hurricane's winds, once at Category 4 force, had slipped back to 140km/h as it hit land about 75km southeast of Mazatlan on Monday morning, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
By midday, Orlene had weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 55km/h and was moving north-northeast at 17km/h. The storm was 110km east-northeast of Mazatlan.
Orlene could bring flood-inducing rainfall of up to 25 centimetres in some places, as well as coastal flooding and dangerous surf.
Mexico's National Water Commission said Orlene could cause "mudslides, rising river and stream levels, and flooding in low-lying areas".
Australian Associated Press
