Tropical Storm Hermine landed in northeastern Mexico near the Texas border today, dumping heavy rain on a region still recovering from Hurricane Alex's visit in June.
Hermine, the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, was expected to weaken as it moved ashore but could trigger deadly flooding and tornadoes, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Authorities in Mexico where the storm made landfall moved 3,000 people from high-risk areas but had no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The storm's forecast path kept it away from major oil and natural gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico, and energy companies said there had been no affect on their operations.
The Miami-based hurricane centre warned the storm could dump heavy rain on the coastal region and could cause deadly flash flooding and mudslides.
Hermine made landfall about 60km south of the Texas border city of Brownsville. After moving inland, its winds diminished to 100km/h. The storm was forecast to weaken further today as it kept moving over land.
Hurricane Alex hit northeastern Mexico in July, killing 12 people and causing heavy flooding in the business capital of Monterrey.
Damage from the storm was estimated at $700 million.
Hermine was expected to dump 10cm to 20cm of rain over northeastern Mexico and south Texas, with isolated maximum amounts of 30cm possible, the hurricane centre said.
Reuters