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XINHUA

Tropical storm Enrique intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, June 26, off the coast of the western Mexican states of Colima and Michoacán, the National Water Commission (Conagua) reported.

“At 07:15 a.m., the center of Enrique was located approximately 230 kilometers southwest of Punta San Telmo, Michoacan, and 265 kilometers south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima,” Conagua said, saying that the storm has maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 150 kilometers per hour.

“Due to the intensity of the wind, waves are estimated to be 3 to 5 meters high on the coasts of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacán, and 1 to 3 meters on the coast of Guerrero and Nayarit.”

Intense rains and strong winds are expected in the area through Monday, June 28, leading Civil Protection units to set up a prevention zone to mitigate the effects of the storm, with authorities telling local residents to take “extreme caution.”

Enrique is the fifth hurricane to form in the Mexican Pacific this season, according to Conagua.