Hurricane Genevieve weakened Wednesday to a Category 1 storm off Mexico's Baja California peninsula, US forecasters said, after bringing rain and high waves to the country's northwest coast.

On Tuesday two people, including a lifeguard, drowned in the resort of Los Cabos after a teenager ignored warning flags and was swept away, Mexican authorities said.

The storm, which turned into a Category 4 on Tuesday, was expected to skirt Baja California without making landfall, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Genevieve
Hurricane Genevieve moves towards the tip of Baja California on August 19, 2020 Photo: RAMMB/NOAA/NESDIS / -

Genevieve's maximum sustained winds had eased to 150 kilometers (90 miles) per hour, it said, downgrading it to the weakest of five categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

But strong winds, heavy rains and "life-threatening flooding" were still a danger, the center warned.

The storm, located about 170 kilometers from Baja California's southern tip, was expected to pass just west of the peninsula while gradually weakening, it said.

Copyright AFP. All rights reserved.

Mexico California