Tropical Storm Arlene - the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season - has hit Mexico's eastern coast, pummeling a large part of the country with heavy rains.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the center of Arlene struck land Thursday near Cabo Rojo in Mexico's Veracruz state. The nearby states of Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi were also in the storm's path.
At last report, Arlene had winds of 100 kilometers per hour.
Forecasters say the storm is expected to dump 10 to 20 centimeters of rain over eastern Mexico. The hurricane center said some mountain areas could get up to 38 centimeters and that the rains could cause "life-threatening flash floods and mudslides."
The storm is not expected to grow into a hurricane and is forecast to dissipate on Friday.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.