Tropical Storm Max makes landfall in Mexico as country braces for Lidia

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Max made landfall in Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday, as the country braces for a second punch from Tropical Storm Lidia, expected to hit Tuesday as a hurricane in a different part of the country.

Max was located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the resort town of Zihuatanejo with winds of about 60 mph (95 kph) and was moving inland at about 7 mph (11 kph). Mexico’s Civil Defense office said Max was causing “torrential” rain in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan. The storm was expected to quickly weaken.

However, the U.S. National Hurricane Center and Mexican authorities warned of the possibility of flash floods from both systems.

Lidia was gaining strength farther north off Mexico’s western Pacific coast and was expected to make landfall Tuesday as a hurricane on a stretch of coast north of the resort of Puerto Vallarta with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph).

Hurricane warnings were in force for the resort of Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding coast.

Lidia was expected to pass near or over the government-run nature education center on the Islas Marias, but the islands are frequently hit by bad weather and are mostly unpopulated.

On Tuesday, Lidia was located about 375 miles (605 kilometers) southwest of the Islas Marias and was moving east-northeast at 8 mph (13 kph). Its winds increased to about 70 mph (110 kph), but the storm could have winds as high as 100 mph (160 kph) when it makes landfall in Nayarit state around Tuesday.

Authorities in the neighboring state of Sinaloa canceled classes in preparation for the impact.