HURRICANE SEASON 2008

Tropical storm Marco hits Mexico

Tue Oct 7, 2008

MIAMI (AFP) - Tropical storm Marco made landfall in Mexico Tuesday, crashing ashore as the latest in a series of powerful storms to strike the region this hurricane season, US forecasters said.

Marco quickly traversed the Gulf of Mexico before barreling ashore about 55 miles (90 kilometers) north-northwest of Veracruz, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The storm has maximum sustained winds of some 65 miles (100 kilometers) per hour and is traveling in a west-northwest direction at about eight miles (13 kilometers) per hour as it moves towards Mexico's interior, where NHC forecasters said it was likely to dissipate Wednesday.

Marco is the latest in a succession of storms to batter the Gulf of Mexico during the busy 2008 hurricane season, including devastating Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which caused millions of dollars in damage in Haiti, Cuba and the United States.

Tropical storm Julio in late August killed one person north Mexico and damaged roads and homes as it swept through the northwestern state of Baja California.

In July, Hurricane Dolly also caused one fatality in Mexico after dumping rain over Texas and Mexico after pummeling the Gulf coast.