Hurricane Paine forms off Mexico, seen weakening before landfall

MEXICO CITY, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Hurricane Paine formed in the Pacific more than 300 miles off the coast of Mexico early on Monday and is forecast to begin weakening later in the day, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Mexico has no coastal warnings in effect for Paine, which is expected to weaken substantially before it hits the upper portion of the Baja California peninsula by early Thursday, the Miami-based center said.

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At 0900 GMT, Paine was 340 miles (547 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 kilometers per hour) and moving northwest at 15 mph (24 kph), the NHC said.

According to the NHC forecasts, the storm will gradually arc toward land over the next day or two, and be a tropical depression by the time it reaches the coast. (Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

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