MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Storm Enrique on Saturday became a hurricane off the coast of western Mexico, where residents were advised to brace for heavy rains amid warnings of flash floods, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Enrique, currently about 215 miles (346 km) south of Cabo Corrientes in Mexico, is expected to remain offshore roughly parallel to the southwestern coast of Mexico, NHC said.
Enrique was expected to become a hurricane 2 storm but in its latest forecast, issued at 1700 Eastern Time, NHC said the hurricane was no longer intensifying rapidly and was expected to ease early next week as it begins moving to cooler waters.
However, there is still a tropical storm alert for the Mexican coastline stretching from Zihuatanejo, in western Guerrero state, to Cabo Corrientes, in Jalisco state.
Enrique is expected to produce 6 to 12 inches of rain through Monday, and in some places as much as 18 inches (45.72 cm) over Colima and coastal sections of Michoacan and Jalisco in southwest Mexico, NHC said.
“These amounts would likely produce life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides over portions of southwestern Mexico,” NHC said.
(Reporting by Abraham Gonzalez; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Chris Reese)
