Tropical Storm Gamma has made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula in southeast Mexico off the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Saturday.
The storm touched down near the beach city of Tulum in the state of Quintana Roo very close to hurricane strength, packing maximum sustained winds near 70 miles per hour with higher gusts.
Mexico’s government had issued a hurricane warning for the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, including popular tourist destinations Cancun and Cozumel in Quintana Roo, NHC said in an earlier advisory.
Gamma was expected to weaken slightly after landfall, the Miami-based weather forecaster added.
NHC anticipated maximum rainfall of as much as 15 inches across the northern parts of Quintana Roo and neighboring Yucatan state, and said storm surge could lift tides as much as 3 feet above normal levels.
© 2020 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.