Tropical storm makes landfall in Mexico
First storm of Atlantic hurricane season expected to lose strength
MIAMI - A weak tropical storm formed Saturday off the Yucatan Peninsula and quickly made landfall along the border of Belize and Mexico, dumping rain and kicking up surf.
The first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season, Arthur was moving northwest across the Yucatan with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It formed one day before the official start of the season June 1.
The storm hit land near the Mexican port city of Chetumal, dumping rain as far south as Belize City and kicking up strong surf on the popular tourist island of Ambergis Caye.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for Belize and Mexico's Caribbean coastline.
In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which includes the popular resort of Cancun, ports were closed and all water sports were banned. Residents and tourists were encouraged to take precautions in coastal areas, said state Civil Protection Director Carlos Rodriguez Hoy.
Ports were also closed on the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres and in Chetumal.
Projected to weaken
Rodriguez said authorities expected rains of up to a little more than 1 inch due to the passing remnants of Arthur.
The storm was projected to weaken as it crosses Yucatan before moving out into the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression early Sunday.
There was chance it could strengthen back into a tropical storm before hitting Mexico's southern Atlantic coast on Wednesday, said Jamie Rhome, a meteorologist with the Hurricane Center. But it was not expected to become a hurricane.
The storm was expected to stay well away from the U.S. Gulf Coast. "This is not a danger to the United States," Rhome said.
Alma, which formed in the Pacific, broke up on Friday over Central America's mountains. The storm had slammed into Nicaragua's Pacific coast on Thursday, killing three people as strong gusts toppled trees and powerlines and ripped roofs off flimsy homes. Rains flooded coastal areas and sent rivers raging.
