Updated

Hurricane Bud made a brief run as a powerful Category 4 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast, but quickly faded into a much weaker hurricane still on a path expected to take it close to the resort towns on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula later in the week.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Bud's maximum sustained winds had lessened to 90 mph (150 kph) by late Tuesday, dropping it to Category 1 strength. Earlier in the day, it had nudged across the 130 mph (210 kph) threshold for a Category 4 hurricane.

Bud was centered about 300 miles (485 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula's southern tip and was moving northwest at about 3 mph (6 kph).

"Further weakening, possibly rapid at times, is expected during the next 48 hours, and Bud is forecast to weaken below hurricane intensity by Wednesday night," the hurricane center said.

Forecasters said Bud would approach Baja California Sur on Thursday. The twin resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are popular destinations for international and domestic travelers, receiving millions of tourists annually.

The center said the hurricane could cause dangerous surf along Mexico's nearby coasts for the next several days. Heavy rainfall also was predicted for southwestern and western Mexico as well as the southern Baja peninsula.