A hurricane watch is in effect for Veracruz, Mexico.
Just hours after being named a tropical storm, the southwest Gulf of Mexico storm known as Katia has been upgraded to a hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As of the NHC’s 4 p.m. update Wednesday (Sept. 6) , Katia has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane. That category encompasses storms with sustained winds between 74 and 95 mph.
Katia is one of three hurricanes now swirling in the Atlantic, with Category 5 Irma and Jose, which was also was designated a hurricane about 4 p.m. Wednesday
The NHC update put Katia about 185 miles north-northeast of the Mexican state of Veracruz, which is under a hurricane watch.
Katia was moving southeast at 3 mph as of the 4 p.m. update. « Little overall motion is anticipated through tonight, but a southwestward drift should begin tomorrow, » according to the NHC. That means the storm is expected to head over mainland Mexico.
The storm, which is the 11th to be named this hurricane season, is expected to produce 5-10 inches of rainfall over northern Veracruz and 2-5 inches over southern Veracruz, southern Tamaulipas and northeast Puebla through early Saturday.
Meanwhile, forecasters are also watching Irma as it heads through the Caribbean on its way toward the southern tip of Florida and Jose, which is still in the Atlantic Ocean about 1,000 miles west of the Caribbean.
