Rick storm forms October 15, 2009

October 15, 2009
Tropical storm Rick forms off Mexico Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Rick formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Thursday and could become a hurricane within the next day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Rick was located 345 miles (555 km) south-southeast of the resort city of Acapulco with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph).

"Continued strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours," the Miami-based hurricane center said.

19 October 2009 - 09H03

AFP - Hurricane Rick weakened further early Monday and was downgraded to a Category 3 storm as it moved up Mexico's Pacific coast, US forecasters said.

"Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 125 miles (205 kilometers) per hour with higher gusts," the National Hurricane Center said in an new advisory.

"Rick is a Category Three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale," the center added.

At 0900 GMT Monday, Rick was around 380 miles (615 kilometers) south southwest of the resort town of Cabo San Lucas as it headed northwest at 10 miles (17 kilometers) per hour, parallel to Mexico's southern coast, the NHC said.

The US forecasters warned about "potentially dangerous surf conditions" caused by large ocean swells.

"Interests in western mainland Mexico should monitor the progress of this hurricane," the Miami-based center said.

Rick is on track to turn northward on Tuesday and is expected to gradually weaken over the next 24 to 48 hours, the NHC said.

But the center warned that even despite the weakening, "Rick is still expected to be a dangerous hurricane as it approaches the southern Baja Peninsula."