MEXICO CITY -- Hurricane Bud weakened slightly and was once again a Category 3 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday. Earlier it had just barely crossed the threshold of wind strength to be classified a Category 4 storm.

Forecasters said they expected cooler waters to rob most of its punch before a potential collision with resorts on the southern Baja California Peninsula.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Bud had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and was centered about 325 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

The hurricane center said the storm was about 225 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, near Puerto Vallarta.

Hurricane Bud is seen in an infrared satellite image capture at 2 p.m. ET on June 12, 2018. NOAA

Bud was moving toward the northwest at about 6 mph and was forecast to approach Baja California Sur on Thursday as a tropical storm.

"Further weakening, possibly rapid at times, is expected during the next 48 hours, and Bud is forecast to weaken below hurricane intensity by Wednesday night," the center said.

The center said the hurricane still could generate dangerous surf and rip currents over the coming days, with heavy swells reaching the peninsula later Tuesday.

A graphic from the National Weather Service shows Hurricane Bud's projected path as of 5 a.m. ET on June 12, 2018. Times displayed are MT. National Weather Service

Rainfall of 3 to 6 inches, with isolated patches of 10 inches, was possible over much of the region.

The twin resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are popular destinations for international and domestic travelers, receiving millions of tourists annually.</s>Hurricane season in the pacific is now well underway, and Hurricane Bud becomes the second weather system to whip its way towards the country.

After it strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, it has since downgraded to a tropical storm, still threatening high winds and heavy rain.

Hurricane Bud was the second category 4 hurricane to hit the coast of Mexico within a two-week period, following Hurricane Aletta.

Tropical storm Bud is yet to hit land but is on the way to hit Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued warnings for mudslides and heavy rainfall as a result of systems triggered by the storm.</s>MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Hurricane Bud has been losing intensity in the Pacific Ocean about 300 miles (483 km) off the coast of Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday, and should be no more than a tropical storm by the time it hits land, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

With maximum sustained winds of about 90 miles per hour (145 km per hour), Bud was downgraded to a Category 1 storm. It was churning slowly towards the beach resorts of Los Cabos on the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula, the Miami-based NHC said.

The center said “additional weakening is forecast, and Bud is expected to become a tropical storm on Wednesday.”

The storm is expected to reach the peninsula by late Thursday, the NHC said. Bud is still likely to be a tropical storm when it nears Baja California Sur, it added.

No coastal warnings were in effect.

The hurricane was moving towards the northwest at about 3 mph (5 kph).

Through Thursday, the storm is expected to cause rainfall of 2 inches to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) across much of southwestern Mexico, with up to 6 inches in some areas.

The heavy rain could cause deadly flash floods and mudslides, the NHC added.</s>MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Bud made a brief run as a powerful Category 4 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast, but quickly faded into a much weaker hurricane still on a path expected to take it close to the resort towns on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula later in the week.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Bud’s maximum sustained winds had lessened to 90 mph (150 kph) by late Tuesday, dropping it to Category 1 strength. Earlier in the day, it had nudged across the 130 mph (210 kph) threshold for a Category 4 hurricane.

Bud was centred about 300 miles (485 kilometres) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula’s southern tip and was moving northwest at about 3 mph (6 kph).

“Further weakening, possibly rapid at times, is expected during the next 48 hours, and Bud is forecast to weaken below hurricane intensity by Wednesday night,” the hurricane centre said.

Forecasters said Bud would approach Baja California Sur on Thursday. The twin resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are popular destinations for international and domestic travellers, receiving millions of tourists annually.

The centre said the hurricane could cause dangerous surf along Mexico’s nearby coasts for the next several days. Heavy rainfall also was predicted for southwestern and western Mexico as well as the southern Baja peninsula.</s>There's a lot to take into account ahead of a hurricane. To make life a little easier and less stressful for you, we've compiled a list of what you need to do before, during and after a hurricane.

Although it’s not required to know everything regarding your insurance policy prior to the storm, it wouldn’t hurt to ask essential questions in case your home gets damaged during the storm.

Asking yourself whether you have flood insurance, knowing your storm deductible, finding out if there’s any incentives for strengthening your home would be helpful to know in advance.

RELATED: Insurance questions policyholders should ask before a storm hits

A great time to get your home prepared before a storm is when you’re making other improvements or additions to it. Protecting areas where storm winds can enter is one of the biggest precautions to take before a hurricane strikes your area. These critical areas include your home’s roof, straps, shutters, doors and garage doors.

Visit our full guide on how to get your home hurricane-ready

Create an emergency plan for your family in case you might have to evacuate from your home. If you know that there’s a chance of separation at some point during the storm, devise an emergency communication plan. Figure out how and who to contact one another in case of separation.

Planning your emergency route, making advance arrangements for pets and locating nearby shelters and knowing your evacuation zones and routes are other things to consider for your family’s emergency plan.

INTERACTIVE: Track the storm with our Hurricane Tracker

Signing up for alerts from local and state emergency management agencies would be beneficial. Some of these agencies include emergency.louisiana.gov and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The governor’s office has an app that helps you create a game plan based.

In addition, Ready.gov provides hurricane preparedness resources on their website.

Read more on how to create an emergency plan.

To make sure you’re prepared for a hurricane, read through our hurricane preparedness checklist.

If you decided to stay home, here are some suggestions on how to be safe during the storm.

Stay inside, and away from windows.

Make sure your windows are protected and your home is secured. This could include putting up hurricane shutters.

Find a safe area in the home such as a closet or bathroom on the first floor of your house.

If the eye of the hurricane passes through your area, there will be a brief calm period followed by rapid wind speed shift, according to hurricanescience.org.

Turn off electricity if flooding threatens your home.

In addition, turn off major appliances such as the air conditioner and water heater to reduce damage if you lose power.

INTERACTIVE: Most destructive hurricanes in US history

Despite all of your precautions, the forces of nature may still damage your home and other property. Here’s are a few suggestions on what to do after the storm:

Determine whether it’s safe for you to travel by checking in with local emergency management departments. You can call their offices or check in for weather updates on the ALERT FM app.

Especially your gas line. If you hear a hissing sound or smell gas, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside valve and call your gas company.

Immediately report any damage to your insurance company. You can try to get government assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and more information from the Louisiana Department of Insurance.</s>It was the second Category 4 hurricane to form in four days in the eastern Pacific Ocean, exploding from a tropical storm to major hurricane in just 24 hours. Then, the storm named Bud fell apart just as fast.

Hurricane Bud is now Tropical Storm Bud. In a single day, from 11 a.m. Tuesday to 11 a.m. Wednesday, its peak winds dropped from 125 mph to 60 mph.

The National Hurricane Center attributed the “rapid” weakening to “significant upwelling of colder water beneath the cyclone.” This cool water robbed energy from the storm, and its towering thunderstorms could no longer sustain themselves.

The Hurricane Center described “a pronounced erosion of the deep convection” in the storm’s inner core. The upwelling of cold water resulted in the sea surface temperature cooling five degrees in the storm’s wake.

Bud is forecast to further weaken. Even so, it is still headed toward the southern part of Baja California, including Cabo San Lucas, where a tropical storm warning is in effect. The Hurricane Center said it could produce tropical-storm winds, several inches of rain, and dangerous surf for the region Thursday and Friday.

Then, the storm is forecast to disintegrate altogether, although some of its moisture will be drawn into the parched desert of the southwestern United States, which desperately needs it.

Bud had reached its peak intensity early Tuesday morning, with maximum winds of 130 mph, briefly making it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Between Sunday and Monday morning, the storm had explosively intensified, its peak winds increasing from 65 to 120 mph — a 55 mph increase in 24 hours.

Bud became the second straight storm in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean to rapidly strengthen from a tropical storm to a major hurricane, rated at least Category 3.

The storm before it, named Aletta, also spun up and then down at breakneck speed. Its peak winds increased from 70 mph Thursday morning to 140 mph Friday morning. And then they decreased from 125 mph Friday evening to 60 mph by Saturday evening. Aletta dissipated Monday and never influenced any land area.</s>Hurricane Bud weakened rapidly off Mexico's Pacific coast on Tuesday on its way towards the resorts at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula.

The US National Hurricane Center said Bud has now been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 130km per hour. It is currently located about 460km to the south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip.

Earlier it had just barely crossed the threshold of wind strength to be classified as a Category 4 storm.

Bud is moving northwest at about 6 kph and is forecast to approach Baja California Sur late on Thursday evening as a tropical storm.

"Further weakening, possibly rapid at times, is expected during the next 48 hours, and Bud is forecast to weaken below hurricane intensity by Wednesday night," the center said.

The center said the hurricane still could generate dangerous surf and rip currents over the coming hours, with heavy swells already reaching the peninsula.

Bud is expected to produce 50 to 75mm of rainfall across much of southwestern Mexico through Thursday. Totals could be twice that in one or two places.

These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

Bud is also expected to produce as much as 125mm of rain across southern parts of Baja California Sur and Sonora in northwestern Mexico between now and Saturday.

The twin resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are popular destinations for international and domestic travellers, receiving millions of tourists every year.
Hurricane Bud grows into a category four hurricane with winds of 130 miles per hour (210 km/h) off of the Pacific Coast of Mexico.