Originally published Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Powerful hurricane churns toward Baja California; travelers should be wary

Hurricane threatens Mexico's southern Baja California; check with hotels and airlines before traveling to Los Cabos or other areas

By Kristin Jackson

Seattle Times Travel staff

If you're planning on traveling to Los Cabos or other areas in Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula, in the next few days, watch the weather very carefully. The powerful Hurricane Norbert is approaching the area and could hit on the weekend.

The hurricane is churning across the Pacific and was upgraded to Category 4 (the maximum is 5 on the hurricane scale) Wednesday afternoon with sustained winds of about 135 miles per hour. However, it's unclear how strong it will be when it hits land.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center called it a very dangerous hurricane, but added gradual weakening is expected to start Friday; get updates and forecasts at www.nhc.noaa.gov Those who are traveling during hurricane season should take some precautions.

• Contact your hotel and airline before departing in case of hurricane-related cancellations or closures. Also ask about penalty-free changes if a hurricane threatens; many airlines and hotels allow that.

• Take along your airline's phone number so if a hurricane hits during your trip you can rebook more easily; airport ticket lines can be very long.

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