Tropical Storm Beatriz forms off Mexico's Pacific coast and may soon become a hurricane

MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Beatriz formed off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Thursday and was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by late Friday as it threatens the southwestern hip of Mexico.

Beatriz was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco late Thursday and moving to the west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kmh) with maxiumum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kmh), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Zihuatanejo to Playa Perula. The storm was expected to slow its forward movement over the weekend, and dump heavy rain as it scraped along several southern Mexican states.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Adrian continued to spin away from land into the open Pacific. Late Thursday it was about 440 miles (705 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California and moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kmh). Its maximum sustained winds strengthened to 90 mph (150 kmh), but the storm posed no threat to land.