Hurricane Bud should weaken before bringing Southwest rain

Hurricane Bud, now a Category 3 storm with winds of 115 mph, continued to spin off Mexico’s west coast Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. Earlier in the day, it briefly strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane.

Bud should weaken to a tropical storm before nearing the resorts of the southern Baja California peninsula.

Beyond that, the remnants of Bud should bring welcome rain to the parched and fire-ravaged Southwest U.S., potentially bringing the first in three months to cities such as Phoenix and Tucson. However, the heavy rain could also lead to flash flooding there.

As of 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, the hurricane center said Bud was about 310 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja peninsula and was moving northwest at 3 mph.

Strong waves caused some coastal damage in Acapulco on Monday.

Forecasters said Bud is moving toward cooler waters and is likely to fall below hurricane strength by Wednesday night before hitting or grazing Cabo San Lucas as a tropical storm late Thursday or early Friday.

The hurricane will churn up the ocean water along the Mexican coast, which could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, the hurricane center said.

As rain from Bud falls across the Southwest, the combination of steep, rocky terrain and localized heavy rainfall will raise the risk of isolated flash flooding, AccuWeather warned. Dry stream beds, known as arroyos, can suddenly fill with rushing water.

Forecasters are also watching a weather system in the Caribbean, which the hurricane center gives a 20 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm within the next five days.