Tropical Storm Pamela is expected to revert to a hurricane before hitting Mexico's Pacific Coast (West) Wednesday morning, making landfall with dangerous coastal winds and waves, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned. Pamela, demoted Tuesday evening from hurricane to tropical storm, was to pass the southern tip of Baja California overnight before accelerating her course to the Mexican port of Mazatlan, in the state of Sinaloa (Northwest). Heavy rains caused by the storm have led to the cancellation of flights and the implementation of preventive measures for tourists and residents in the city, according to local authorities. "
A strengthening is expected overnight and Pamela should regain the strength of a hurricane before reaching the central west coast of Mexico on Wednesday morning,
”according to the NHC.
Read also Hurricane Pamela is approaching the Pacific coast of Mexico
At 0300 GMT Wednesday, Pamela was centered about 275 kilometers southwest of Mazatlan, according to the latest NHC advisory.
It was heading northeast at a speed of 19 km / h with sustained winds of up to 110 km / h.
The NHC warns of a "
significant
"
threat
of flash floods and landslides during Pamela's passage through the Mexican states of Sinalo, Durango and Baja.
The center also warns of a risk of "
significant and destructive
waves"
Causing coastal flooding.
The state of Sinaloa has been put on alert as a preventive measure.
Sixteen American tourists whose flights had been canceled were transferred to a shelter, said Eloy Ruiz, the local emergency preparedness coordinator.
Calls to go to shelters have also been launched to the population of at least 80 neighborhoods at risk.
Storms and hurricanes
The hurricane should then weaken into a tropical storm as it continues northeasterly.
It could hit Texas and Oklahoma late Wednesday and Thursday, with the threat of "
massive flash and urban flooding
."
Due to its location, Mexico is frequently affected by tropical storms and hurricanes, on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
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At the end of August, a young Spaniard died in the collapse of a hotel in a seaside resort and a woman was reported missing in the state of Jalisco (West) after Hurricane Nora.
A week earlier, Category 3 Hurricane Grace made landfall in Veracruz (East) and killed at least 11 people in this state and that of Puebla (center).
In September, Hurricane Olaf, which made landfall in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, caused heavy rainfall and minor damage.
The influence of global warming on the triggering of tropical storms is not established, but the increase in the heat of the sea provides them with “
fuel
” which increases their intensity.