Hurricane Trudy threatens Mexico's Pacific coast with heavy rain and wind

MEXICO CITY, Oct 15 - Hurricane Trudy moved parallel to Mexico's western coast on Thursday, threatening further rain and strong winds in a region already battered in recent weeks by storms that left behind several deaths and severe flooding.

The storm, located about 480 km (298 miles) south-southwest of beach town Acapulco, packed maximum sustained winds of 120 kph (75 mph) and is moving northwest, the US-based National Hurricane Center said in a morning advisory.

• Trudy, a Category 1 hurricane, is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane on Friday.

• The storm is then expected to approach Mexico's Pacific coast with heavy rains forecast in the states of Colima and Jalisco, increasing the risk of life-threatening flooding and landslides, the NHC and Mexican authorities warned.

• Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Simon is nearly stationary farther northwest offshore, after dropping heavy rain along the coast earlier as a hurricane.

• Simon is forecast to move northwest, grazing the Baja California peninsula over the weekend, the NHC added. REUTERS