Flossie becomes hurricane off Mexico's Pacific coast after rapidly strengthening

    Mexico City, Jul 1 (AP) Flossie has strengthened into a hurricane off Mexico's southwestern Pacific coast. The US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Flossie became a Category 1 hurricane Monday night and has maximum sustained winds of 120 kph (75 mph).
    The hurricane centre said Flossie was about 280 kilometers south of Manzanillo and was moving west-northwest off the Mexican coast at 17 kph.
    Flossie was expected to skirt the coast for a few days while dropping rain on several Mexican states.
    Mexico's government earlier issued a tropical storm warning along the southwestern coast from Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula.
    A tropical storm watch remained in effect for the southwest coast from Zihuatanejo to Cabo Corrientes. A watch means tropical storm conditions are possible in the area within two days.
    While its center is forecast to remain offshore, moderate rain was likely in parts of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco through early next week. (AP) NSA
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)