Tropical Storm Max strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast and was forecast to make landfall later Thursday along the coast of Guerrero state, a region that includes the resort city of Acapulco.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Max for the coastline between Zihuatanejo and Punta Maldonado.
It warned that Max could still strengthen a bit before reaching land and threatened to bring “life-threatening flooding (and) rainfall” to Guerrero and Oaxaca states.
Max had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph), was located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Acapulco and was heading toward the east at 7 mph (11 kph), the hurricane center reported.
Also Thursday, Tropical Storm Norma formed farther out to the west in the Pacific and was expected to strengthen and head toward the resort-studded Baja California Peninsula.
Norma was located about 395 miles (635 kilometers) south of the twin resorts of Los Cabos at the peninsula’s southern tip.
The storm had winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was moving north at 5 mph (7 kph). On that track Norma could be at hurricane strength just west of Los Cabos by Monday.
Los Cabos was hit by Tropical Storm Lidia in early September, causing at least five deaths.
