Tropical Storm Arlene organizing in gulf

Tropical Storm Arlene was slowly organizing and expected to strengthen Wednesday as it moved toward Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Arlene was about 190 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, moving about 8 mph and having maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, the center said in its early morning advisory. A tropical storm warning was in effect along the coast of northeastern Mexico from Barra de Nautla north to Bahia Algodones, the center said. The National Hurricane Center said Arlene was expected to make landfall along the northeastern coast of Mexico early Thursday. The storm was expected to produce between 4-8 inches of rain over the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz and eastern San Luis Potosi, with isolated amounts of up to 15 inches of rain in the mountains, forecasters said. A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1-2 feet above normal tide levels in and near the area where Arlene makes landfall.