Tropical Storm Paul grows on way to Mexico's Baja

MEXICO CITY, Oct 23 (Reuters) Tropical Storm Paul strengthened on its way to luxury resorts at the tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and looked set to deliver them a direct hit as a full-blown hurricane early this week.

Paul, which is packing maximum winds near 100 kph, will likely become a hurricane overnight, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said yesterday.

''We're predicting it will be a hurricane within 12 hours,'' said Lixion Avila, a forecaster at the center. ''I would not be surprised if we had to issue a hurricane warning for some part of the Baja California peninsula tonight.'' When a storm's winds reach 119 kph it is designated a Category One hurricane.

Paul was previously expected to only pass near the resorts of Los Cabos on the tip of the peninsula, which are popular with U.S. tourists, but the hurricane center now predicts it will slam straight into the posh holiday spot midday tomorrow.

After, that it will likely enter the Sea of Cortez and run aground near areas of the mainland that took a hit from another storm, Hurricane Lane, in September.

The Baja California peninsula extends south from the U.S.

state of California. Hurricanes that enter the Sea of Cortez, surrounded on three sides by land, tend to fizzle out after running aground, posing no risk to the United States.

Los Cabos had two narrow hurricane escapes last month.

Hurricane Lane missed the resorts in mid-September before crashing into the mainland and leaving a path of destruction on the Pacific Coast, killing three.

Two weeks earlier, Hurricane John forced tourists to flee but spared them in the end. Three people, including a Briton, died when it slammed ashore farther north on the peninsula.

''It's been strengthening very quickly,'' said Francisco Cota, head of civil protection for Los Cabos. ''It's very small and compact, but it's bringing a lot of rain with it and it could do us a lot of harm.'' He said evacuations to shelters could begin tomorrow.

Alejandro Farfan, manager on duty at the large InterContinental hotel in Los Cabos, said staff had no immediate evacuation plans. He said Los Cabos was at low tourist season, with guest occupancy at about 50 percent.

''We are used to this. We have emergency plans; people know what to do,'' he said.

REUTERS PDS KP0746