Weather tracker: Hurricane Flossie floods Mexico while Europe swelters

Tropical storm sends heavy rainfall over the west coast of Mexico as parts of Europe experience record temperaturesParts of Mexico's west coast were affected by Hurricane Flossie this week. The storm initially developed in the eastern Pacific to the south of Mexico on Sunday 29 June and then travelled north-west, parallel to the coast. Fuelled by warm sea surface temperatures of 29-30C, Flossie quickly strengthened to a category 3 hurricane on Tuesday, with winds reaching 115mph at peak intensity.Though Flossie did not make landfall, the eye of the hurricane passed within 200 miles of the Mexican coast, with the outer bands of the storm delivering significant rainfall to the states of Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. Flooding was reported in coastal regions, particularly in southernmost parts of Michoacán, where a major highway in the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas was covered in nearly half a metre of flood water, and a sewer collapsed in a nearby residential area. Sea conditions were also a major concern and authorities warned of large swells and rip currents, advising people to avoid beaches and closing some ports to smaller vessels. Continue reading...