LA PAZ, Mexico, Oct 11, 2008 (AFP) - Hurricane Norbert struck Mexico's northwest Pacific coast Saturday, ripping off roofs, knocking down trees and leaving one person missing and more than 20,000 homes without electricity, local authorities said.

Norbert, which made landfall as a Category Two hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, came ashore at Puerto Cortes, on the Baja California peninsula around 1630 GMT, Mexico's National Weather Service said.

It was later downgraded to a Category One storm with sustained winds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour winds.

'The entire area is being affected by hurricane strength' winds and downpours, a National Weather Service forecaster said by phone.

'A man trying to cross the Miramar creek has been reported as missing after the current swept him away,' the authorities in Loreto, one of the municipalities Norbert tore through, said.

The storm late Saturday was over Gulf of California waters and expected to make landfall again on mainland Mexico in Sinaloa state at around midnight (0500 GMT, Sunday), the Wather Wervice said.

Some 2,850 people were housed in temporary shelters.

Forty percent of homes were totally or partially damaged on the islands of Margarita and Magdalena, mainly having lost their roofs, said a report from state protection services.

In the Baja California capital of La Paz, the storm knocked out power to 13,000 homes, and to 8,000 more in Ciudad Constitution, the Federal Electricity Commission reported.

La Paz international airport suspended its activities at midday Saturday, but the tourist resort of Los Cabos remained open.

Hotel reservations were down by around 40 percent mainly in Los Cabos and Loreto, local tourism officials said.

At 0300 GMT, Sunday the eye of Norbert was located about 195 kilometers (125 miles) east-northeast of Loreto, Mexico, the US-based National Hurricane Center reported.

'Little change in strength is expected until landfall ... then a rapid weakening is forecast over the mountainous terrain of Mexico,' the NHC said.

The hurricane however is expected to dump up to 15 centimeters (six inches) of rain over the peninsula and portions of northwestern Mexico, 'with possible isolated amounts of 10 inches (25 centimeters),' the NHC said.