Hurricane Ingrid, bearing down on eastern Mexico as tropical storm Manuel strengthened off the country’s Pacific coast, is due to make landfall early today, with both storms expected to bring life-threatening floods.
The hurricane was about 217km east of the Mexican city of Tampico yesterday and was expected to dump as much as 38cm of rain over a large part of eastern Mexico, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said in a statement.
“Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area early Monday, with tropical storm conditions expected by late Sunday,” the hurricane centre said at the weekend.
“These rains are likely to result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.”
The Mexican government issued a hurricane warning for Ingrid’s path on Saturday, and the US hurricane centre said a hurricane warning was in effect from Lazaro Cardenas to Manzanillo on the Pacific coast.
Mexico's Reforma newspaper reported on Saturday that 6,000 people had been evacuated in the state of Vera Cruz along the Gulf coast, while Universal newspaper said 14 people had died during torrential rains caused by Manuel.
As much as 38cm of rain is expected over the states of Guerrero and Michoacan.