Tropical storm Raymond forms off Mexico Pacific coast

Tropical storm Raymond formed on Sunday off Mexico's Pacific coast, threatening to pour heavy rains on Acapulco, a Pacific beach resort which still recovering from devastating storm last month, U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. According to NHC, Raymond was centered about 295 km southeast of Acapulco, southwest Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 65 km an hour Sunday morning and moving toward the northwest at around 11 km per hour. Storm Raymond is expected to evolve into hurricane within 48 hours, NHC said, adding that it is to approach slowly to Mexico's southern Pacific coast late Monday or Tuesday before beginning to meander. Heavy rain is possible along Mexico's south-central coast in the next few days and life-threatening floods and landslides are expected as well, according to NHC, which issued a tropical storm watch from Acapulco in Guerrero state to the port of Lazaro Cardenas further northwest. Mexico's National Water Commission predicted that the storm would generate heavy rain in southern states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacon and Chiapas while moving northwest, parallel to the coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca. The commission asked the public to be aware of the indications of Civil Protection in the region as the rains could cause mudslides in mountainous areas as well as water logging, floods and rising rivers and streams. The National Civil Protection Coordination recommended that people take precautions against heavy rain and seek shelter, especially for the sick, elderly, children and indigent, and stay up to date with the news about the storm. Mexico suffered its worst flooding and landslide when tropical Manuel and Ingrid battered the largest part of the country last month, leaving 157 people dead and 1.7 million people homeless. Acapulco was one of the hardest-hit regions, as heavy rains buried a community in a mountainous area with 101 dead and put the city's airport under water, stranding thousands of tourists.