Grace heads to land for a second time
TULUM, Mexico — Hurricane Grace — temporarily knocked back to tropical storm force — headed for a second landfall in Mexico on Friday, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country’s main tourist strip.
The storm lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and was gaining energy.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Grace’s winds were back up to 85 mph early Friday. It was centered about 200 miles east of Tuxpan and heading west at 14 mph.
Grace was slowing over the warm waters of the Bay of Campeche, leading forecasters to warn that the storm would get stronger before making landfall. Mexico’s weather service had warned earlier in the week that Grace could make its second landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.
The forecast suggested it would head toward a coastal region of small fishing towns and beach resorts between Tuxpan and Veracruz, likely Friday night, then over a mountain range toward the heart of the country and the greater Mexico City region.
Forecasters said it could drop 6 to 12 inches of rain, with more in isolated areas — bringing the threat of flash floods, mudslides and urban flooding.
The hurricane hit early Thursday near Tulum, a resort town famed for its Mayan ruins. Some families passed harrowing hours sheltering from cracking trees and flying debris.
There were no reports of deaths, but many streets were blocked by fallen limbs and trees that pulled down power lines, leaving thousands in the dark.