LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Norbert is producing heavy rains along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, prompting at least 2,000 people to leave their homes for higher ground.

The governor of Baja California Sur state is urging people in vulnerable areas to evacuate and says travelers should stay off highways.

The storm has toppled trees and knocked out electricity in the resort area of Los Cabos. Firefighters rescued several people from vehicles stranded in flooded streets.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Norbert has strengthened, with maximum sustained winds near 115 mph. It’s centered about 145 miles west of sparsely populated Cabo San Lazaro and headed northwest at 8 mph.

The Hurricane Center says Norbert is helping push moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly across northern Mexico and into the southwestern United States, and could produce heavy rains in coming days.

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127-w-39-(Tim Maguire, AP correspondent, with Eric Blake, National Hurricane Center specialist)–Hurricane Norbert brings heavy rain to Mexico’s Baja California and the Southwestern U.S. AP correspondent Tim Maguire reports. (6 Sep 2014)

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051-a-07-(Eric Blake, hurricane specialist, National Hurricane Center, in AP interview)-“the big impact”-Eric Blake, with the National Hurricane Center, says Hurricane Norbert is helping push moisture into the southwestern U.S, bringing possible heavy rains in coming days. ((watch for dating)) (6 Sep 2014)

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050-a-12-(Eric Blake, hurricane specialist, National Hurricane Center, in AP interview)-“flooding and mudslides”-Eric Blake, with the National Hurricane Center, says Hurricane Norbert may help bring weekend precipitation to the parched southwestern U.S. (watch for dating) (6 Sep 2014)

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