MEXICO CITY – Tropical Storm Dolly headed Tuesday for a soggy collision with Mexico’s Gulf coast, where authorities suspended school classes and readied shelters.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 45 mph (75 kph) and some strengthening was possible as Dolly’s center approached the coast in the evening and moved over land overnight, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was expected to bring 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 centimeters) of rain to states of Tamaulipas and Veracruz, along the Gulf coast and inland.
A tropical storm warning for Mexico’s coast covered an area from Cabo Rojo to Barra el Mezquital.
Dolly was centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the port city of Tampico by Tuesday evening. It was moving to the west at 10 mph (17 kph).