Hurricane Blanca weakened slightly Thursday to a Category 2 storm in the eastern Pacific off Mexico's coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that the hurricane's maximum sustained winds decreased to near 177 kilometers per hour Thursday but some re-strengthening is expected during the next day or so. The storm is centered roughly 748 kilometers south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving toward the northwest. Swells from the hurricane will begin affecting the southwestern Mexican coast and are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
