Tropical Storm Erick forms near southern Mexico, National Hurricane Center says

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Erick formed early Tuesday near southern Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurriane Center in Miami said.

The storm was about 450 miles (725 kilometers) southeast of Punta Maldonado, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (60 kmh), the center said. It was forecast to approach the coast by late Wednesday.

Erick was moving west-northest at nearly 12 miles an hour (19 kmh).

A hurricane watch was in effect Tuesday for southern Mexico as a tropical depression in the eastern Pacific gained strength.

A hurricane watch was posted for a stretch of the Pacific coast from Bahia De Huatulco in Oaxaca state to Punta Maldonado. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions with winds exceeding 74 mph (119 kph) are possible in the area within two days.

A tropical storm watch was in effect further south from Salina Cruz to Bahia De Huatulco.

Heavy rainfall was forecast for parts of Oaxaca and Guerrero with lighter amounts in Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz states as well as parts of El Salvador and Guatemala.