Hurricane warnings are in effect for the coast of Southern Mexico as Hurricane Raymond inches closer to the Mexico coast.
Hurricane Raymond is a category 3 storm that has been slow and erratic in its movement; any slight movement in its position could bring it closer to Mexico's coast, Weather.com reports.
On Wednesday, the storm is predicted to move west-southwest, away from the Mexico coast. Due to the storm's intensity and uncertainties in its movement, hurricane warnings are in effect for areas spanning from Tecpan de Galeana westward to Lazaro Cardenas, including the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo metropolitan area. Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings are also in effect from Acapulco to Tecpan de Galeana.
The main impact from Raymond is expected to be heavy rainfall. The rain could cause dangerous flash floods and mudslides near and inland from the coast of Mexico, specifically in the states of Michoacan and Guerrero, areas that were devastated by floods and mudslides from last month's deadly Hurricane Manuel, which killed over 100 people.
Tropical storm-force winds and hurricane-force winds could also strike areas along the coast. The strength of the winds depends on how close the center of the storm gets to the Mexico coast, which is uncertain because Raymond is slow-moving and expected to turn west, away from Mexico. Raymond is also a compact hurricane, with winds extending no more than 25 miles from the center of the storm, as of Tuesday.
From Sunday morning to early Monday, Raymond intensified with winds increasing from 40mph to 120 mph. It peaked late Monday with sustained winds of 125 mph, but has since weakened.