Hurricane warning for Mexico coast as Flossie rapidly strengthens

Flossie has strengthened into a hurricane off Mexico's southwestern Pacific coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Flossie became a Category 1 hurricane Monday night and has maximum sustained winds of 130 kph (80 mph).

The hurricane center said Flossie was about 280 kilometers (175 miles) south of Manzanillo and was moving west-northwest off the Mexican coast at 17 kph (10 mph).

Flossie was expected to skirt the coast for a few days while dropping rain on several Mexican states.

Mexico's government earlier issued a tropical storm warning along the southwestern coast from Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula.

A tropical storm watch remained in effect for other areas on the southwest coast from Zihuatanejo to Cabo Corrientes. A watch means tropical storm conditions are possible in the area within two days.

While its center is forecast to remain offshore, rainfall up to 150 mm (6 inches) was likely for parts of the Mexican states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco into Wednesday, with the possibility of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain.

Flossie is forecast to strengthen over the next 36 hours before weakening over cooler waters.

Meanwhile, the remnants of Barry were bringing heavy rain to Mexico's Gulf coast after it came ashore as a tropical depression south of Tampico with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.