MEXICO CITY, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Beatriz was expected to whip across Mexico's southern Pacific coast late Thursday, potentially dumping as many as 50 centimeters of rain in some areas.
"This rainfall is likely to produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the Miami, Florida-based U.S. National Hurricane Center, warned in its latest bulletin.
The southern state of Oaxaca was forecast to bear the brunt of the storm, with the states of Veracruz, Chiapas and Tabasco also affected, Mexico's National Meteorological Service (SMN) said.
With "winds of 70 kilometers per hour and gusts of 90 kilometers per hour, Beatriz will over the coming hours generate torrential storms, with more than 250 millimeters of rainfall," the SMN said.
Downpours were also expected in southeast Campeche and central Puebla, with heavy rain in southern Guerrero and the central State of Mexico, and showers in the capital Mexico City.
Warnings were in effect for the coast of Oaxaca, from the port of Salina Cruz to the seaside resort of Puerto Escondido.
In Oaxaca, where rains began on Wednesday, officials cancelled classes across the state on Thursday, and said they might extend the measure through Friday, depending on the storm's intensity.
The army was on alert in case of a natural disaster, as was the state police force, and ports were closed to navigation.
In Puerto Escondido and the nearby vacation destination of Huatulco, tourists were advised to stay away from the beaches.
