MEXICO CITY, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Hurricane Katia made landfall on Friday near the working-class beach resort of Tecolutla in the state of Veracruz on the Mexican Gulf coast, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

It lost some strength before it landed about 115 miles (185 km) northwest of the port city of Veracruz as a Category 1 storm with sustained winds 75 mph (120 km/h). The storm was expected to weaken rapidly over the next day, the NHC said.

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

Mexico is also dealing with the aftermath of a powerful earthquake on Thursday night. The quake, the strongest to strike the country in more than 80 years, killed at least 61 people.

There are now three hurricanes in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, made landfall in Cuba on Friday as a Category 5 storm. Millions of Florida residents were ordered to evacuate after the storm killed 21 people in the eastern Caribbean and left catastrophic destruction in its wake.

Hurricane Jose continued to gather strength far out in the Atlantic and it was nearing Category 5 strength as it churned about 435 miles (700 km) east-southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands.

Veracruz state officials said in a statement on Friday that the storm could cause landslides and flooding, and urged people living below hills and slopes to be prepared to evacuate.

Luis Felipe Puente, head of Mexico's national emergency services, said this week that 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.

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 Shri Navaratnam) </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> 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> 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> The Latest on Hurricane Katia and a major earthquake in Mexico (all times local):

The National Hurricane Center says Katia has weakened into a tropical storm as it moves further into Mexico, with wind speeds of up to 45 mph (72.4 kph).

Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico late Friday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 kph). Forecasters expect the hurricane to weaken quickly over the next 24 hours.

Elsewhere, a Category 5 Hurricane Irma left a string of deaths and damage across the Caribbean, battering Cuba late Friday with winds of 160 mph (257 kph) and bearing down on south Florida. To the east, Hurricane Jose, a Category 4 storm, was following behind, threatening further damage in Irma's wake.

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico and a raging hurricane dealt a devastating one-two punch to the country, killing at least 61 people as workers scrambled to respond to the twin national emergencies.

The 8.1 quake off the southern Pacific coast just before midnight Thursday toppled hundreds of buildings in several states. Hardest-hit was Juchitan, Oaxaca, where 36 people died and a third of the city's homes collapsed or were otherwise rendered uninhabitable, President Enrique Pena Nieto said late Friday in an interview with the Televisa news network.

In downtown Juchitan, the remains of brick walls and clay tile roofs cluttered streets as families dragged mattresses onto sidewalks to spend a second anxious night sleeping outdoors. Some were newly homeless, while others feared further aftershocks could topple their cracked adobe dwellings.

Across the country, Hurricane Katia was roaring onshore north of Tecolutla in Veracruz state, pelting the region with intense rains and winds. </s> JUCHITAN, Mexico (AP) - The Latest on Hurricane Katia and a major earthquake in Mexico (all times local):

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says that Tropical Storm Katia is starting to stall over Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains.

Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico late Friday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 kph). It then was downgraded to a tropical storm and forecasters expect it to dissipate Saturday.

The hurricane center said that Katia's maximum sustained winds are now down to near 40 mph (65 kph) and that it is expected to drift east of the Sierra Madre mountains as it peters out.

The National Hurricane Center says Katia has weakened into a tropical storm as it moves further into Mexico, with wind speeds of up to 45 mph (72.4 kph).

Katia made landfall north of Tecolutla, Mexico late Friday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 kph). Forecasters expect the hurricane to weaken quickly over the next 24 hours.

Elsewhere, a Category 5 Hurricane Irma left a string of deaths and damage across the Caribbean, battering Cuba late Friday with winds of 160 mph (257 kph) and bearing down on south Florida. To the east, Hurricane Jose, a Category 4 storm, was following behind, threatening further damage in Irma's wake.

One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico and a raging hurricane dealt a devastating one-two punch to the country, killing at least 61 people as workers scrambled to respond to the twin national emergencies.

The 8.1 quake off the southern Pacific coast just before midnight Thursday toppled hundreds of buildings in several states. Hardest-hit was Juchitan, Oaxaca, where 36 people died and a third of the city's homes collapsed or were otherwise rendered uninhabitable, President Enrique Pena Nieto said late Friday in an interview with the Televisa news network.

In downtown Juchitan, the remains of brick walls and clay tile roofs cluttered streets as families dragged mattresses onto sidewalks to spend a second anxious night sleeping outdoors. Some were newly homeless, while others feared further aftershocks could topple their cracked adobe dwellings.

Across the country, Hurricane Katia was roaring onshore north of Tecolutla in Veracruz state, pelting the region with intense rains and winds. </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> JUCHITAN, Mexico — One of the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit Mexico was followed by a Gulf coast hurricane, dealing a one-two punch to the country, killing at least 61 people as workers scrambled to respond to the twin national emergencies.

The 8.1 quake off the southern Pacific coast just before midnight Thursday toppled hundreds of buildings in several states. Hardest-hit was Juchitan, Oaxaca, where 36 people died and a third of the city’s homes collapsed or were uninhabitable, President Enrique Pena Nieto said late Friday in an interview with the Televisa news network.

In downtown Juchitan, the remains of brick walls and clay tile roofs cluttered streets as families dragged mattresses onto sidewalks to spend a second anxious night sleeping outdoors. Some were newly homeless, while others feared further aftershocks could topple their cracked adobe dwellings.

“We are all collapsed, our homes and our people,” said Rosa Elba Ortiz Santiago, 43, who sat with her teenage son and more than a dozen neighbors on an assortment of chairs. “We are used to earthquakes, but not of this magnitude.”

Even as she spoke, across the country, Hurricane Katia was roaring onshore north of Tecolutla in Veracruz state, pelting the region with intense rains and winds.

MORE: Hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia could all hit land this weekend

Waiting for Jose: Caribbean braces for second potent storm

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported Katia’s maximum sustained winds had dropped to 75 mph when it made landfall. And it rapidly weakened even further over land into a tropical depression before dawn. The center said Katia was stalling over Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, where it could bring 10 to 15 inches of rain to a region with a history of deadly mudslides and flooding.

Pena Nieto announced that the earthquake killed 45 people in Oaxaca state, 12 in Chiapas and 4 in Tabasco, and he declared three days of national mourning. The toll included 36 dead in Juchitan, located on the narrow waist of Oaxaca known as the Isthmus, where a hospital and about half the city hall also collapsed into rubble.

Next to Ortiz, 47-year-old Jose Alberto Martinez said he and family members have long been accustomed to earthquakes. So, when the ground started moving, at first they simply waited a bit for it to stop — until objects began falling and they bolted for the street.

“We felt like the house was coming down on top of us,” Martinez said, accompanied by his wife, son and mother-in-law.

Now, he didn’t feel safe going back inside until the home is inspected. Right next door, an older building had crumbled into a pile of rough timbers, brick and stucco, while little remained of a white church on the corner.

Rescuers searched for survivors Friday with sniffer dogs and used heavy machinery at the main square to pull rubble away from city hall, where a missing police officer was believed to be inside.

The city’s civil defense coordinator, Jose Antonio Marin Lopez, said similar searches had been going on all over the area.

Teams found bodies in the rubble, but the highlight was pulling four people, including two children, alive from the completely collapsed Hotel Del Rio where one woman died.

“The priority continues to be the people,” Marin said.

Pena Nieto said authorities were working to re-establish supplies of water and food and provide medical attention to those who need it. He vowed the government would help rebuild.

“The power of this earthquake was devastating, but we are certain that the power of unity, the power of solidarity and the power of shared responsibility will be greater,” Pena Nieto said.

Power was cut at least briefly to more than 1.8 million people, and authorities closed schools in at least 11 states to check them for safety.

The Interior Department reported that 428 homes were destroyed and 1,700 were damaged just in Chiapas, the state closest to the epicenter.

“Homes made of clay tiles and wood collapsed,” said Nataniel Hernandez, a human rights worker living in Tonala, Chiapas, who worried that inclement weather threatened to bring more structures down.

“Right now, it is raining very hard in Tonala, and with the rains it gets much more complicated because the homes were left very weak, with cracks,” Hernandez said by phone.

The earthquake also jolted the Mexican capital, more than 650 miles (1,000 kilometers) away, which largely lies atop a former lakebed whose soil amplifies seismic waves. Memories are still fresh for many of a catastrophic quake that killed thousands and devastated large parts of the city in 1985.

Mexico City escaped major damage, though part of a bridge on a highway being built to a new international airport collapsed due to the earthquake, local media reported.

The quake’s power was equal to Mexico’s strongest in the past century, and it was slightly stronger than the 1985 quake, the U.S. Geological Survey said. However, its impact was blunted somewhat by the fact that it struck some 100 miles offshore.

The epicenter was in a seismic hotspot in the Pacific where one tectonic plate dives under another. Such subduction zones are responsible for some of the biggest quakes in history, including the 2011 Fukushima disaster and the 2004 Sumatra quake that spawned a deadly tsunami.

In the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, tourists abandoned coastal hotels as winds and rains picked up ahead of Hurricane Katia’s landfall and workers set up emergency shelters.

“The arrival of (hashtag)Katia may be particularly dangerous for slopes affected by the earthquake. Avoid these areas,” Pena Nieto tweeted.

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Hurricane Katia makes landfall in Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane, causing heavy damage and at least two deaths.