Hurricane Rick heads for landfall on Mexico’s southern coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A slightly strengthened and compact Hurricane Rick is closing in on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, heading toward a predicted landfall late Monday morning amid warnings of potential flash floods in the coastal mountains. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Rick had maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph) late Sunday and is expected to go ashore somewhere on the coast between the resort of Zihuatanejo and the seaport of Lazaro Cardenas. The center warns that Rick could produce flash floods and mudslides in the mountainous terrain on the coast. Forecasters say the storm is relatively compact, with hurricane force winds extending out only 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the eye.