North-western communities have been warned to be on alert as Tropical Storm Kay churns off the Pacific coast, according to Mexican officials.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that at 0900 GMT the center of Storm Kay was located some 495 kilometres southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.
The storm, heading towards the northwest at a speed of six miles per hour, was packing maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, the NHC said.
Kay could unleash “very strong focused storms in southern Baja California,” Mexico’s National Meterological Service said. It urged residents to “exercise caution.” Even though the storm was not expected to make landfall, Mexican officials warned coastal communities to be on alert.
According to the NHC, Kay’s tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from its center – not quite reaching land, but enough to churn up dangerous waves and pummel the region with heavy rain and strong winds.
Storm Kay reminds of Hurricane Odile, which slammed Los Cabos on the southern tip of Baja California, in September 2014, killing six people and causing huge material damage. Earlier in the month, Tropical Storm Earl, hit Mexico after weakening from a hurricane over Central America, bringing heavy rain and triggering heavy floods.
