MEXICO CITY: Hurricane Katia strengthened on Wednesday evening as it churned off the Gulf coast of Mexico before an expected turn towards land that could batter eastern states with high winds and heavy rain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A Category 1 hurricane, Katia was 200 miles east of the port of Tampico, blowing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 km per hour), and may be close to major hurricane strength by the time it is forecast to hit land this weekend, the NHC said.

Category 1 is the NHC's weakest hurricane designation. Category 5 is the strongest. Storms of Category 3 and above are defined as major hurricanes.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century and a Category 5, howled past Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is on a collision course with Florida.

Hurricane Jose in the open Atlantic, some 1,000 miles (1,610 km) east of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles islands, could become a Category 3 and eventually threaten the U.S. mainland.

Earlier in the day, Katia was slightly nearer to the Mexican coast, and at about 10 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT) was moving east-southeast at around 2 mph (4 kph), the centre said.

The NHC said the storm should strengthen further and would probably start drifting towards the southwest before it is forecast to hit the state of Veracruz by early Saturday.

Katia has "worrying characteristics" because it is very slow-moving and could dump a lot of rain on areas that have been saturated in recent weeks, Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national emergency services, told domestic television.

State oil and gas company Pemex has installations in and around the coast of Veracruz, but the firm has not reported any interruptions to its operations.

The storm is expected to bring total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) over northern Veracruz, and 2 to 5 inches over southern Tamaulipas state, northeastern parts of the state of Puebla, and southern Veracruz through Saturday morning.

The rains may cause flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas, the NHC said.

The flurry of storm activity comes after Hurricane Harvey killed about 60 and caused property damage estimated as high as US$180 billion after pummelling the coasts of Texas and Louisiana with torrential rain and severe flooding.</s>00:38 Dorian Leaves Colder Waters in its Wake Dorian leaves behind colder waters, meteorologist Danielle Banks explains.

At a Glance Hurricane Katia made landfall on the Veracruz coast in eastern Mexico.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds occurred in eastern Mexico.

Hurricane Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, between Tampico and the city of Veracruz, in eastern Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane late Friday night.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/katia_landfall.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/katia_landfall.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/katia_landfall.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

Katia quickly dissipated as it tracked inland Saturday morning.

The threat of heavy rainfall will continue into the weekend in eastern Mexico. This heavy rainfall may result in flash flooding and mudslides.

Katia first developed on September 5, 2017 in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico and did not move much over the next several days. Katia rapidly strengthened into a hurricane on September 6, 2017.

Maximum sustained winds reached 105 mph on Sept. 8, 2017, making it a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale . Fortunately, Katia weakened before making landfall.</s>MIAMI — Hurricane Katia has formed in the Gulf off the coast of Mexico with sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). The government of Mexico has issued a hurricane watch for the coast of the state of Veracruz from Tuxpan to Laguna Verde.

Katia is anticipated to drift toward the coast on Thursday.

The announcement of Hurricane Katia came minutes after the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Jose had formed in the open Atlantic, far from land and well east of Hurricane Irma.

Jose has winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and is quickly strengthening, but poses no immediate threat to land.

Here is a look at the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The areas covered include the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as “an intense tropical weather system with well-defined circulation and sustained winds of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher.”

Hurricanes are rated according to intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

A indicates the possibility that a region could experience hurricane conditions within 48 hours.

A indicates that sustained winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 36 hours.

Predictions: April 6, 2017 – The Tropical Meteorology Project from Colorado State University predicts that the “2017 Atlantic basin hurricane season will have slightly below-average activity.” They predict a total of 11 named storms and four hurricanes.

May 25, 2017 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts a 45% chance for an above-normal season, predicting that there is a 70% chance of having 11 to 17 named storms, of which five to nine could develop into hurricanes, including two to four major hurricanes (categories 3-5).

August 9, 2017 – NOAA raises its forecast prediction to 14 to 19 named tropical systems this year, up from the 11-17 they predicted in a previous outlook released in May. Though NOAA’s outlook still calls for five to nine hurricanes, the latest update increases the predicted range of likely major hurricanes by one, from 2-4 to 2-5. NOAA forecasters predict the “season has the potential to be extremely active, and could be the most active since 2010.”

Tropical Storm Arlene

 April 20, 2017 – Tropical Storm Arlene forms in the central Atlantic Ocean. According to the National Hurricane Center, April tropical storms are rare, and this is only the second one (the first was 2003’s Tropical Storm Ana) since the use of satellite.

 April 21, 2017 – Arlene moves southwest and south until it dissipates.

Tropical Storm Bret

 June 19, 2017 – Tropical Storm Bret forms about 125 miles southeast of Trinidad.

 June 20, 2017 – Weakens into a tropical wave.

Tropical Storm Cindy

 June 20, 2017 – Tropical Storm Cindy forms in the Gulf of Mexico, about 265 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana.

 June 22, 2017 – Makes landfall just south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Later weakens to a tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Don

 July 17, 2017 – Tropical Storm Don forms about 485 miles east-southeast of Barbados. Weakens to an open wave the next day.

Tropical Storm Emily

 July 31, 2017 – Tropical Storm Emily forms near the west coast of Florida and makes landfall on Anna Maria Island. Weakens to a tropical depression after making landfall.

Hurricane Franklin

 August 6, 2017 – Tropical Storm Franklin forms over the northwestern Caribbean.

 August 7, 2017 – Makes landfall on the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

 August 9, 2017 – Franklin becomes a Category 1 hurricane about 105 miles northeast of Veracruz, Mexico.

 August 10, 2017 – Makes landfall in Veracruz, Mexico. Later, Franklin weakens to a tropical storm and then dissipates.

Hurricane Gert

 August 13, 2017 – Tropical Storm Gert forms in the Atlantic Ocean.

 August 14, 2017 – Gert becomes a hurricane, the second of the season.

 August 17, 2017 – Weakens to a post-tropical cyclone.

Hurricane Harvey August 17, 2017 – Tropical Storm Harvey forms about 250 miles east of Barbados. August 24, 2017 – Harvey strengthens into a hurricane. August 25, 2017 – Harvey makes landfall between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, Texas, as a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 mph. Harvey is the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Charley in 2004. August 26-29, 2017 – Harvey is downgraded to a tropical storm, but stalls over land causing extreme flooding in Texas. August 30, 2017 – After retreating from the Houston area back to the Gulf of Mexico, Harvey slowly moves northeast and makes a second landfall near Cameron, Louisiana. — The death toll from Harvey is at least 56 deaths. Harvey dumped an estimated 27 trillion gallons of rain over Texas and Louisiana during a 6-day period, according to WeatherBell, and also set a record for the most rainfall ever from a tropical cyclone in the continental US, at 51 inches of rain. Estimates put eventual total losses at as much as $75 billion.

Hurricane Irma

 August 30, 2017 – Tropical Storm Irma forms 420 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands.

 August 31, 2017 – Irma becomes a hurricane and intensifies into a Category 3 hurricane.

 September 4, 2017 – Irma strengthens to a Category 4 hurricane about 490 miles east of the Leeward Islands.

 September 5, 2017 – Intensifies into a “potentially catastrophic” Category 5 hurricane as it roars toward the northeastern Caribbean islands.

Tropical Storm Jose

 September 5, 2017 – Tropical Storm Jose forms about 1500 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.</s>(WFLA) — Hurricane Katia has formed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Around 5 p.m., the NHC put out an advisory stating Hurricane Katia was in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, about 185 miles east of Tampico, Mexico.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the coast of the State of Veracruz.

Maximum sustained winds from Katia are at 75 mph.
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• Tampa Bay area residents need to get hurricane plans in place while skies still blue</s>MEXICO CITY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Hurricane Katia wheeled in place off the Mexican Gulf coast on Thursday, but it was expected to gain strength before it approached land by late Friday or early Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A Category 1 hurricane, Katia was 210 miles (335 km) east of the port of Tampico, blowing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (130 km per hour), and may be close to major hurricane strength by the time it is forecast to hit land this weekend, the NHC said.

Category 1 is the NHC's weakest hurricane designation. Category 5 is the strongest. Storms of Category 3 and above are defined as major hurricanes.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century and a Category 5, spread devastation in Saint Martin, where it killed eight people, and Barbuda in the Caribbean as it took aim at Florida.

Hurricane Jose is in the open Atlantic, some 815 miles (1,310 km) east of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles islands. It was expected to gain some strength but the effects of Irma were seen eventually weakening that storm.

Katia was expected to begin moving again and turn southward, and it is forecast to hit the state of Veracruz by early Saturday.

Katia has "worrying characteristics" because it is very slow moving and could dump a lot of rain on areas that have been saturated in recent weeks, Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national emergency services, told domestic television on Wednesday.

State oil and gas company Pemex has installations in and around the coast of Veracruz, but the firm has not reported any disruption to its operations. (Reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Bernadette Baum)</s>You are the owner of this article.</s>Hurricane Katia churned almost 200 miles (322 km) off the Gulf coast of Mexico on Wednesday evening before an expected turn towards land that could dump heavy rain on eastern states in the coming days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Katia, a Category 1 hurricane, was 195 miles (314 km) east of the port of Tampico, blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 km per hour), the Miami-based NHC said.

Category 1 is the weakest hurricane designation by the NHC. Category 5 is the strongest.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century and a Category 5, howled past Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is on a collision course with Florida. [nL2N1LN26Z]

Hurricane Jose in the open Atlantic, some 1,000 miles (1,610 km) east of the Caribbean`s Lesser Antilles islands, could become a Category 3 and eventually threaten the U.S. mainland.

Earlier in the day, Katia was slightly nearer to the Mexican coast, and at about 7 p.m. CDT (0000 GMT) was moving to the southeast at around 3 mph (5 kph), the centre said.

Describing Katia as a "small tropical cyclone," the NHC said the storm would likely start drifting towards the southwest on Thursday, taking it towards the Mexican coast.

Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the NHC`s projections showed the hurricane hitting the oil-rich state of Veracruz around the end of the week.

State oil and gas company Pemex [PEMX.UL] has installations in and around the coast of Veracruz, but so far the firm has not reported any interruptions to its operations.

The storm is expected to produce total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) over northern Veracruz, and 2 to 5 inches over southern Tamaulipas state, northeastern parts of the state of Puebla, and southern Veracruz through Saturday morning.

The rains may cause flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas, the NHC said.

Five days of rain are forecast for most of Mexico`s territory due to the effects of storms in the region including Katia, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Jose, said Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico`s national emergency services.

The flurry of storm activity comes after Hurricane Harvey claimed about 60 lives and caused property damage estimated as high as $180 billion after pummeling the coasts of Texas and Louisiana with torrential rain and severe flooding.</s>MEXICO CITY: Hurricane Katia strengthened on Wednesday evening as it churned off the Gulf coast of Mexico before an expected turn towards land that could batter eastern states with high winds and heavy rain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

A Category 1 hurricane, Katia was 200 miles east of the port of Tampico, blowing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour (129 km per hour), and may be close to major hurricane strength by the time it is forecast to hit land this weekend, the NHC said.

Category 1 is the NHC's weakest hurricane designation. Category 5 is the strongest. Storms of Category 3 and above are defined as major hurricanes.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century and a Category 5, howled past Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is on a collision course with Florida.

Hurricane Jose in the open Atlantic, some 1,000 miles (1,610 km) east of the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles islands, could become a Category 3 and eventually threaten the U.S. mainland.

Earlier in the day, Katia was slightly nearer to the Mexican coast, and at about 10 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT) was moving east-southeast at around 2 mph (4 kph), the centre said.

The NHC said the storm should strengthen further and would probably start drifting towards the southwest before it is forecast to hit the state of Veracruz by early Saturday.

Katia has "worrying characteristics" because it is very slow-moving and could dump a lot of rain on areas that have been saturated in recent weeks, Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national emergency services, told domestic television.

State oil and gas company Pemex has installations in and around the coast of Veracruz, but the firm has not reported any interruptions to its operations.

The storm is expected to bring total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) over northern Veracruz, and 2 to 5 inches over southern Tamaulipas state, northeastern parts of the state of Puebla, and southern Veracruz through Saturday morning.

The rains may cause flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas, the NHC said.

The flurry of storm activity comes after Hurricane Harvey killed about 60 and caused property damage estimated as high as US$180 billion after pummelling the coasts of Texas and Louisiana with torrential rain and severe flooding.</s>Hurricane Katia churned almost 200 miles (322 km) off the Gulf coast of Mexico on Wednesday evening before an expected turn towards land that could dump heavy rain on eastern states in the coming days, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Katia, a Category 1 hurricane, was 195 miles (314 km) east of the port of Tampico, blowing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour (121 km per hour), the Miami-based NHC said.

 Category 1 is the weakest hurricane designation by the NHC. Category 5 is the strongest.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century and a Category 5, howled past Puerto Rico on Wednesday and is on a collision course with Florida. Hurricane Jose in the open Atlantic, some 1,000 miles (1,610 km) east of the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles islands, could become a Category 3 and eventually threaten the US mainland.

Earlier in the day, Katia was slightly nearer to the Mexican coast, and at about 7 p.m. CDT (0000 GMT) was moving to the southeast at around 3 mph (5 kph), the center said. Describing Katia as a “small tropical cyclone,” the NHC said the storm would likely start drifting towards the southwest on Thursday, taking it towards the Mexican coast.

Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the NHC’s projections showed the hurricane hitting the oil-rich state of Veracruz around the end of the week. State oil and gas company Pemex has installations in and around the coast of Veracruz, but so far the firm has not reported any interruptions to its operations.

The storm is expected to produce total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) over northern Veracruz, and 2 to 5 inches over southern Tamaulipas state, northeastern parts of the state of Puebla, and southern Veracruz through Saturday morning. The rains may cause flash floods and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas, the NHC said.

Five days of rain are forecast for most of Mexico’s territory due to the effects of storms in the region including Katia, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Jose, said Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico’s national emergency services. The flurry of storm activity comes after Hurricane Harvey claimed about 60 lives and caused property damage estimated as high as $180 billion after pummeling the coasts of Texas and Louisiana with torrential rain and severe flooding.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>While Hurricane Irma tracks towards Florida and Hurricane Jose's path edges closer to the Caribbean, a new storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico today: Hurricane Katia.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Category 1 storm is expected to make landfall with Mexico's east coast Friday night or Saturday morning, moving west towards Veracruz and later to Mexico City—and away from the Yucatan Peninsula.

Currently, Katia's winds are as high as 75 miles per hour, but are forecasted to reach as high as 110 miles per hour as the storm intensifies. Category 5 Irma's winds have reached 185 miles per hour, making it a Category 5 hurricane, the strongest storm on the Saffir–Simpson scale.

But Wind isn't so much the worry with Katia—it's the water that could be deadly. Total rainfall accumulations between five and 10 inches are forecast for northern Veracruz, with a possible 15-inch deluge causing flash-floods and mudslides, says NOAA .

Meanwhile, Category 1 storm Jose, which was upgraded from its tropical storm status today, has also seen top-speed winds of 75 miles per hour. But its path is not yet clear, says NOAA. The storm could yet turn northeast out into the Atlantic, or it could intensify as the week goes on.
Hurricane watches are issued for the state of Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast. Category 1 Katia (75 mph/120 km/h) is about 185 miles (298 km) off the Mexican coast, slowly moving at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h).