A vendor sells blankets along the beach a day after Hurricane Jimena passed over Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 02 Sep 2009Tropical Storm Jimena continues to weaken as it moves along Mexico's Baja California coast.  

TheNational Hurricane Center in Miami says Jimena is carrying maximumsustained winds of 85 kilometers an hour, as it closes in on the SantaRosalita area.  

Forecasters expect the storm to weaken to atropical depression by Thursday night as it moves over the central BajaCalifornia peninsula.  

Jimena came ashore Wednesday betweenPuerto San Andresito and San Junaico as a weakened Category Onehurricane, the lowest on a five-level scale that measures a storm'sintensity and potential for destruction.  

The storm ripped roofs from buildings, knocked out power and littered areas with debris.

Forecastersexpect some eight to 13 centimeters of rain over the central BajaCalifornia peninsula and parts of western Mexico in the coming days.

Authoritiesdeclared a state of emergency in Baja California's Sur state, wherethousands of impoverished residents fled to emergency shelters to waitout the storm.

Meanwhile, the hurricane center says TropicalStorm Erika is expected to weaken as it travels on a western path overthe Caribbean. The storm is approaching Puerto Rico and the U.S. andBritish Virgin Islands with winds near 65 kilometers an hour.  

Atropical storm watch remains in effect for Puerto Rico and the VirginIslands, while storm warnings are posted for other areas in the easternCaribbean.