Story highlights

NEW: state news: Over 450 people evacuated from 2 hostels

Hurricane Norbert has 100 mph sustained winds, is about 180 miles offshore

It could produce up to 10 inches of rain in spots, says National Hurricane Center

Some communities have been cut off due to mudslides

CNN  — 

Hurricane Norbert lashed Mexico’s west coast Saturday with strong winds and drenching rains, the latter of which triggered mudslides that cut off some communities.

As of 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET), the storm had 100 mph sustained winds as it moved northwest at an 8 mph clip. The worst of it was not rolling over land – centered, as it was, 180 miles west-northwest of Cabo San Lazaro – meaning its winds haven’t been as devastating as might have otherwise been the case.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted that 3 to 6 inches will likely fall in the central and northern Baja California peninsula, with 10 inches possible in some spots.

All that water has already caused dangerous mudslides and damage.

“There are no terrestrial communications” in two communities in the Loreto municipality after landslides, said Baja California official Jose Luis Perpuly Drew, according to the Notimex state news agency.

Local authorities working with army, navy and civil protection forces are moving to bring food and medical supplies to Ague Verde and San Cosme, said Drew.

There are also efforts underway to rebuild a wall that serves as a key buffer in Comondu, Notimex reported. The storm also prompted the evacuation of more than 450 people from two hostels in Puerto San Carlos, according to the news agency.

Hurricane Norbert is expected to cause large swells, dangerous surf and rip currents along Mexico’s west coast through the Gulf of California, the National Hurricane Center said.

There is some good news in all this, though: Norbert got weaker as Saturday wore along and that trend should continue, with the Miami-based hurricane center predicting it will become a tropical storm on Sunday.