Tropical Storm Danielle hits Mexico’s eastern coast

MEXICO CITY – Tropical Storm Danielle hit Mexico’s Gulf coast on Monday and began drenching the region with heavy rains.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Danielle’s maximum sustained winds dropped to near 40 mph (65 kph) as it began making landfall about 10 miles (15 kms) north of the port of Tuxpan.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for a stretch of the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, from Laguna Verde to Rio Panuco.

The storm was moving west at 8 mph (13 kph) through a sparsely populated stretch of countryside.

Danielle was expected to produce 6 to 10 inches of rainfall over several Mexican states, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches in higher terrain.

Rapid weakening was expected as the storm moves over land, and Danielle is expected to largely dissipate on Tuesday.

The Veracruz government cancelled classes in most of the state as a precautionary measure. Schools are sometimes used to shelter storm victims in Mexico.

There were no immediate reports of any damage or significant flooding, but the Hurricane Center warned that flash floods and landslides were possible.