Mexico City - Mexico's Pacific Coast braced for torrential rains yesterday as Hurricane Carlotta strengthened, but its westward movement was pushing it away from beach resorts and out to sea, weather officials said.
Carlotta was upgraded to a category two hurricane yesterday with winds gusting to around 125 m.p.h. (205 k.p.h.). It was located about 190 miles (290 km) south-south-east of the popular beach town of Ixtapa, said Ms Monica Jimenez Gomez, a meteorologist at Mexico's National Weather Service.
A category two hurricane is capable of blowing down large trees and destroying mobile homes, with flooding near the coast destroying smaller structures.