Tropical storm Sergio wilts off Mexican Pacific

MEXICO CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) Rare mid-November cyclone Sergio fizzled off Mexico's Pacific coast today after slipping from hurricane to tropical storm strength and was expected to weaken more before reaching an upscale resort area.

Sergio, which was downgraded overnight after spraying rain on coastal towns as a strong Category 2 hurricane earlier in the week, still carried winds of (100 kph) as it drifted away from the tourist resort of Acapulco.

''The cloud pattern has been deteriorating and now consists of a shapeless mass of clouds,'' the US National Hurricane Center said in Miami.

Sergio was about (565 km) south of the port of Manzanillo and moving slowly up the Pacific Coast, the hurricane center said.

Early next week the storm could still brush past the resort towns of Los Cabos, tourist destinations on the Baja California peninsula favored by Americans.

Strong storms are rare this late in the hurricane season. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30.

Three hurricanes forecast to hit the Los Cabos resort towns earlier this year veered away at the last minute.

Mexico's Pacific coast has been blitzed with hurricanes and storms this year, while its Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico coasts have seen little activity.

In October, Hurricane Paul killed at least four people in northwestern Mexico. In September, Hurricane Lane took three lives along the Pacific coast and Hurricane John killed at least three people in Baja California.

REUTERS SY VV2255