A weakened Tropical Storm Cristobal is moving gradually across Mexico after dumping heavy rains on the country's Gulf coast state of Campeche on Wednesday, with an expected path toward the Gulf coast region of the United States.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center anticipates the storm could become a menace for the U.S. coastal region by Sunday after gaining intensity over the warmer Gulf waters on Friday.
Before threatening the United States, forecasters expect Cristobal will continue to produce heavy rains and flooding along Mexico's Gulf coast.
Mexico’s national coordinator of civil defense, David Leon Romero, said Wednesday, five priority states have had the highest rainfall and the greatest impact. Romero said they have taken steps to allow crews to account for casualties. He said so far they have not identified any deaths or injuries. However, he said, they are still monitoring the situation.
Cristobal developed Tuesday from the remnants of Tropical Storm Amanda, which formed in the Pacific Ocean and caused severe flooding and landslides in Central America. At least 22 deaths have been reported in El Salvador and Guatemala because of the storm.