Gulf of Mexico Storm heads for Mexico

A tropical depression over the Gulf of Mexico was expected to strengthen to a tropical storm before coming ashore in southeastern Mexico on Monday and bringing torrential rains that could cause life-threatening mudslides and flash floods.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that at 8 p.m. EDT, (0000 GMT), Tropical Depression Four was 275 miles (285 km) east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph).

The storm system will be named Danielle if it reaches sustained tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph (63 kph).

It was moving at 8 mph (13 kph) and was due to reach the Mexican shore by 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Monday, just north of Veracruz, a city of more than 400,000 people.

The NHC said the storm would produce total rainfall in the area of 6 to 10 inches (15 cm to 25 cm), with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches (38 cm) possible in higher terrain over the Mexican states of Veracruz, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro, Hidalgo, and northern Puebla.

"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the Miami-based center said.

Reporting by Sandra Maler