Tropical storm Barbara strengthens off Mexico

MEXICO CITY, June 2 (Reuters) Tropical Storm Barbara strengthened in the Pacific Ocean and was expected to gain force over the weekend on its way to southern Mexico, but there was no immediate indication it would become a hurricane.

Forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami expected Barbara to pick up punch in coming days as it hovered 320 km south of the small oil port of Salina Cruz. The port remained open.

Packing sustained winds of 85 kph, and even higher gusts, the storm was located over warm water off the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. The hurricane center expected it to make landfall late today or early tomorrow.

The center said that expected heavy rainfall could lead to life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in Oaxaca and Chiapas, as well as across the border in Guatemala.

Mountains running parallel with the coast in the important coffee-growing region mean heavy rainfall can often unleash fierce torrents. Swollen rivers ripped towns apart in the area in the 2005 hurricane season.

Barbara had been downgraded to a tropical depression late on Thursday but became stronger overnight.

Earlier predictions had Barbara developing into a hurricane over the weekend and barreling toward Mexican coastal resorts like Puerto Escondido, a major surfing spot. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when maximum sustained winds reach 119 kph.

Tropical Storm Barry formed in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season, and was bearing down on Florida.

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