Tropical storm Roslyn is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by late on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, as it moves up central Mexico towards tourist resorts on its Pacific coast.
Hurricane conditions could hit the coast between San Blas, on Mexico's Nayarit Riviera, down to Perula beach in Jalisco state, home to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, the Miami-based weather forecaster said on Thursday.
Jalisco's government said tourism on the coast and mountainous areas had been prohibited over the weekend, and it asked people to avoid going to beaches. It said 300 civil protection officials were on standby.
The NHC said tropical storm conditions could hit the coast down from Perula to Manzanilla, a port city in Colima state.
NHC forecasts show Roslyn gathering speed to reach 100 miles per hour (160 kph) by late on Saturday in the ocean off the coast from Puerto Vallarta.
This would make Roslyn a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is forecast to dissipate as it hits land.
At 10 p.m. (0300 GMT), Roslyn was some 230 miles (375 km) south-southeast of Manzanillo, packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the NHC said.
It said the storm could bring strong winds and a dangerous storm surge, while heavy rains could cause flash-flooding and landslides.
The storm could also bring 1-3 inches (3-8 cm) of rain along coastal parts of Guerrero and Michoacan states, and up to six inches along the coast of Colima and Jalisco, it said.
The NHC expects Roslyn will also bring heavy rain to Nayarit, the Islas Marias archipelago and parts of southern Sinaloa.
(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Sandra Maler)
