Hurricane Rosa loses strength as it spins toward California

Hurricane Rosa dwindled to a Category 1 storm as it spun in the Pacific Ocean towards Baja California early Sunday and was forecast to become a weaker tropical storm later in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Rosa, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 kph), dropped down from a Category 2 storm overnight, coming down another notch on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

It was about 585 miles (940 km) southwest of San Felipe Mexico at 2 a.m. Pacific Time, and was expected to reach Baja California on Monday as a tropical storm, as additional weakening was in the forecast over the next few days, the Miami-based center said.

A Tropical Storm warning was in effect for the coast of Baja, Ca., from Punta Abreos to Cabo San Quintin. The storm is expected to drop 3-to-6 inches of rain, with isolated spots of 10 inches of rain in the next few days, the weather service said.