Nuevo Laredo - AFP
A pair of tropical storms formed on both of Mexico's coasts on Tuesday, threatening to dump heavy rain on several states and spark floods in the northeast, forecasters warned.
Tropical Storm Dolly churned in the Gulf of Mexico and was expected to make landfall in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas late Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Dolly slightly weakened as it crept toward the coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers (45 miles) per hour, some 95 kilometers east-southeast of the port of Tampico.
The storm is expected to produce between 150 and 250 millimeters (six and 10 inches) of rainfall in Tamaulipas and the neighboring states of Nuevo Leon, Veracruz and San Luis Potosi.
The rain is expected to spark flash floods and mudslides in mountain regions.
On the other coast, Tropical Storm Norbert swirled along the Pacific, about 240 kilometers from Manzanillo, with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour, the US hurricane center said.
But it was expected to move away from the southwestern coast overnight and approach the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula on Thursday.
The storm is expected to pour 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall over the states of Colima, Michoacan and Jalisco.
Last year, Mexico was simultaneously struck by a pair of hurricanes, Ingrid and Manuel, on both coasts, killing 157 people.