Todays update on Rina:
Rina Weakens To a Tropical Storm, Batters Cancun.
Location: 21.3°N 86.9°W
Max sustained: 45 mph
Moving: NNE at 4 mph
Min pressure: 1002 mb
Cancun, Mexico-- A weakened Tropical Storm Rina whipped the Mexican resort communities of the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday as it lost more of its punch.
The storm was buffeting the Mayan Riviera area with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Rina will likely drop 3 to 6 inches of rain over the eastern part of the peninsula and Cozumel through Friday, with isolated amounts of up to 10 inches, according to the Miami-based weather agency.
A storm surge of as much as 1 to 2 feet above normal tide levels along the coast is expected, "accompanied by large and dangerous waves," forecasters said.
Rina's eye was about 15 miles west-northwest of Cancun, Mexico, on Friday morning.
"This general motion is expected to continue for the next 12 hours or so," the hurricane center said. "Rina should then begin a southward drift back to the northwestern Caribbean Sea and remain there for a few days."
Rina is expected to fizzle out over the next 48 hours.
Authorities took numerous precautionary measures ahead of the storm, while numerous businesses in neighboring Cancun and elsewhere shut down in anticipation.
"First we're thinking, we're stranded in Cancun, there could be worse things," said Amelie Jarvis, a tourist from Canada. "But then we noticed that everything is closed. I don't know what we're going to do."
Thousands of people have been evacuated from islands and coastal areas, boating has been banned and several shelters have opened.
Evacuees include about 50,000 residents of Quintana Roo state, which includes the resort towns of Cancun and Cozumel, because their housing was considered "vulnerable," said Juan Gabriel Granados, operations director for state civil protection. Most have moved inland to stay with relatives or friends, he added.
"We're asking both (residents) and tourists to remain calm," Granados said. "The state and local governments are ready ."