Norbert weakens over Mexico; Odile coming

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Hurricane Norbert weakened to a tropical storm Sunday as it moved over the mountains of Mexico while the south of the country braced for another storm.

Norbert, which roared over Baja, Calif., and onto the mainland Saturday, was expected to rapidly weaken into a tropical depression by late Sunday morning, with winds that were once measured at 105 mph decreasing to 60 mph, forecasters from the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted.

At 2 a.m., the storm was centered 140 miles southwest of Chihuahua, Mexico, and expected to move into western Texas and New Mexico later Sunday. Four to 6 inches of rain, triggering possible mudslides and flooding, were predicted for northwestern Mexico.

Southern Mexico, meanwhile, was also under the gun from the approach of Tropical Storm Odile. At 2 a.m. Sunday, Odile was centered 60 miles southwest of Manzanillo, moving toward the west at 7 mph. Forecasters said it appeared likely Odile's track could keep it from making landfall but only a small deviation could bring it onshore.