Hurricane Blanca downgraded as it nears Mexico's Baja California

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Blanca weakened to a category 1 storm on Sunday morning as it approached Mexico's Baja California peninsula, according to the latest update form the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Blanca, the second hurricane to form off Mexico's Pacific coast this year, is located about 180 miles (290 km) south-southwest of the tourist hub of Cabo San Lucas at the southern tip of the peninsula.

The hurricane, which reached category 4 storm status on Saturday, features maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 km/h) and is moving north-northwest at a pace of 12 mph (19 km/h).

The NHC expects Blanca to approach the southwest coast of the peninsula later on Sunday and move near or along the coast as a weakened tropical storm as late as early Monday morning.

Further weakening is expected by Monday night.

Luis Felipe Puente, the national head of emergency services, told reporters on Saturday that 18,000 tourists were vacationing in and around the Cabo San Lucas resort, and nearly three-quarters of them were foreigners who may require help leaving the area.

Blanca could produce total rainfall of between 6 to 10 inches (15-25 cm) over much of Baja California, including the possibility of "life threatening flash floods and mudslides," the NHC added.

Last September, Hurricane Odile caused severe damage along a large swath of southern Baja California, flooding much of Cabo San Lucas and stranding thousands of tourists.

(Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Jon Boyle)