Tropical Storm Ernesto Thursday was approaching Mexico's flood-prone southern Gulf coast after drenching the Yucatan Peninsula but causing little damage. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday the storm's sustained winds had risen to 110 kilometers per hour (kph) after returning to water. It had weakened while moving over the peninsula. According to forecasters, Ernesto was expected to go ashore in Veracruz's Los Tuxtlas region, about 80 kilometers northwest of oil port Coatzacoalcos. They said it could drop nearly 25 centimeters of rain, which could cause flooding. Early Thursday, the storm was centered roughly 65 kilometers east-northeast of Coatzacoalcos, moving to the west-southwest at 20 kph. So far, there have been no reports of deaths or major damage from the storm.
