Tropical Storm Boris is bearing down on Mexico’s Pacific coast, where it is due to make landfall on Monday evening and is forecast to bring heavy rain, flooding and possible mudslides to coastal areas of the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) issued an alert for torrential rains and President Claudia Sheinbaum activated civil protection plans that will be carried out by the Navy and the Defense Ministry.
As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, Boris was located about 85 miles (135 kilometers) southeast of Acapulco and 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Punta Maldonado, according to the Miami-based U.S. National Hurricane Center.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was expected to veer away from its northeast track and move steadily north at about 2 mph (3 kph).
Upon making landfall, Boris is forecast to dump 4 to 10 inches of rain along the coast, prompting a Tropical Storm Warning for the coastal strip between Lagunas de Chacahua, Oaxaca, and Tecpan, Guerrero.
This area of the coast is likely to be hardest hit, potentially receiving up to 15 inches of precipitation. The SMN said Guerrero, which averages 300 to 400 milliliters (11 to 15 inches) of rain throughout June, could surpass that during two days “of extraordinary rainfall.”
Acapulco is also in the storm’s path and Michoacán farther north is expected to receive up to 6 inches of rain.
Residents of the states of Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit have been asked to stay informed through official channels.
Boris will lose wind intensity as it tracks northwest over land nearly parallel to the coast through Tuesday, with rainfall amounts of 1-2 inches expected to accumulate from southwestern Oaxaca through Jalisco and southern Guanajuato.
The first named storm of the year, Tropical Storm Amanda, formed on Wednesday before dissipating Sunday night. Boris and a tropical rainstorm near Central America are expected to impact parts of the Central American and Mexican coasts this week.
“Sea-surface temperatures near the coasts of southwestern Mexico and Central America are well into the 80s Fahrenheit, which will support further development,” an AccuWeather hurricane expert said.
The rainstorm off the coast of Central America is forecast to move inland across southern Mexico late this week. Accuweather said that if the storm “remains offshore longer and with warm ocean water and relatively low wind shear, it could intensify into a hurricane.”
Guerrero could receive an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain from this second storm.
With reports from Por Esto!, Accuweather, El Financiero and The Associated Press
