Jimena At Cat 4 145 Max Sust 395 SSE Cabo San Lucas Moving NW 8 MPH - AFP

Menacing hurricane Jimena barreled toward Mexico Monday, threatening a direct hit later this week on the resort-dotted Baja California peninsula, weather officials said. US forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami in their latest advisory described the massive storm as "extremely dangerous," packing powerful winds, heavy rain and creating rough ocean swells.

The powerful Category Four hurricane -- the second-strongest intensity level on the five level Saffir-Simpson scale -- initially seemed likely to veer away from the coast, but Mexico's National Weather Service said it changed course. The service warned that there was a "high possibility of a direct hit by Hurricane Jimena in the next 72 hours" on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico's northwest. US forecasters were more cautious. The Miami-based NHC said Jimena "will be approaching the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula on Tuesday," but stopped short of predicting landfall.

Jimena's advance could wreak havoc with plans by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to hold a conference in the resort city of Cabos, Mexico on September 1-2. At 0900 GMT, Jimena was packing winds of 230 kilometers per hour (145 mph) and was moving northwest at 13 kph (eight mph), according to the NHC.

It was located about 245 miles (395 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and 395 miles (635 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the US center said.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2007/090831122717.7sm54519.html

I don't know what's worse... fire or hurricane?