Tropical Storm Barry, the second of the Atlantic hurricane season, strengthened as it churned toward Mexico on Wednesday, threatening to bring heavy rains to oil and power installations near the country's Gulf coast. The Minatitlan oil refinery of state oil monopoly Pemex and the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, both in Veracruz state, are being monitored closely, said Noemi Zoila, head of the local government's emergency services. Mexico's three major Gulf coast oil export terminals - Coatzacoalcos, Cayo Arcas and Dos Bocas - closed on Wednesday because of heavy rain and reduced visibility. Barry was about 40 miles east-northeast of the port of Veracruz, moving at 6 miles per hour as it approached land, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. The storm's maximum sustained winds were 45 mph, the center added, and a tropical storm warning was in effect along a costal stretch from Tuxpan to Punta El Lagarto.
