The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to several parts of Mexico after the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season formed off the coast.
Tropical Storm Alberto formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday (19 June) and is expected bring strong winds, heavy rainfall and some flooding along the coasts of Texas and Mexico. It was due to make landfall on Thursday (20 June).
Three people have reportedly already died from Alberto’s rains. “The heavy rainfall and the water, as usual, is the biggest story in tropical storms,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the Mexican city of Tijuana – apart from certain areas including airside transit through the local airport – and Tecate, a city in Baja, California, including roads between Tijuana and Tecate.
The states of Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Jalisco, Colima, Guerrero and Chiapas are also covered by the FCDO advisory.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the region’s hurricane season will run from now until 30 November and is likely to be well above average.