Former Hurricane John weakens off Mexico’s Baja peninsula

MEXICO CITY – Former Hurricane John weakened to a tropical storm in the Pacific on Thursday, but was still bringing high surf to the southern part of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, where officials had closed ports and schools closed as a precaution.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said John had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was projected to weaken further while turning westward out to sea. The storm’s centre was about 560 miles (900 kilometres) west-northwest of the southern tip of Baja and moving to the west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).

Officials in Baja California Sur state closed ports in the Los Cabos area on Wednesday, as well as schools, as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kristy was far out in the Pacific — 1,375 miles (2,210 kilometres) west-southwest of the tip of the peninsula. It has sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).

In the North Atlantic, also far from land, Tropical Storm Debby turned into a post-tropical cyclone and its winds diminished to 40 mph (65 kph) as it moved over colder waters. It was likely to dissipate in the night, the hurricane centre said.