MIAMI A hurricane warning was issued Tuesday for a portion of southern Mexico as Tropical Storm Erick gained strength in the Pacific Ocean, forecasters said.

The National Hurricane Center said Erick was expected to rapidly intensify and become a hurricane by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The cyclone was centered about 285 miles (460 kilometers) southeast of Puerto 09ngel, Mexico, on Tuesday morning.

The tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the Miami-based center said. It was moving west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph) and forecast to approach the coast by late Wednesday.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Puerto 09ngel to Punta Maldonado in coastal southern Mexico. The hurricane watch stretches west of Punta Maldonado to Acapulco and east of Puerto 09ngel to Bahas de Huatulco. A tropical storm watch was posted east of Puerto 09ngel to Salina Cruz.

A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area, and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, according to the NHC advisory.

Heavy rainfall up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) was forecast for parts of Oaxaca and Guerrero with lighter amounts in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states as well as parts of El Salvador and Guatemala.

The rainfall may produce flooding and mudslides, the center said, and storm surge could produce coastal flooding.

迈阿密消息：气象部门周二发布飓风警报，随着热带风暴"埃里克"（Erick）在太平洋海域持续增强，墨西哥南部部分地区将受影响。

美国国家飓风中心表示，预计埃里克（Erick）将迅速增强，并在周二晚间或周三凌晨发展为飓风。周二上午，该气旋中心位于墨西哥安赫尔港东南方向约285英里（460公里）处。

位于迈阿密的气象中心表示，该热带风暴的最大持续风速为每小时45英里（约75公里），正以每小时9英里（约15公里）的速度向西北偏西方向移动，预计将于周三晚间逼近海岸。

墨西哥南部沿海地区已发布飓风警报，范围从安赫尔港（Puerto Ángel）延伸至蓬塔马尔多纳多（Punta Maldonado）。飓风警戒区向西覆盖蓬塔马尔多纳多至阿卡普尔科（Acapulco）区域，向东则涵盖安赫尔港至瓦图尔科湾（Bahías de Huatulco）。此外，热带风暴警戒区已从安赫尔港向东延伸至萨利纳克鲁斯（Salina Cruz）。

美国国家飓风中心（NHC）公告指出，飓风警报意味着该地区预计将出现飓风天气，应紧急完成保护生命和财产的各项准备工作。

气象预报显示，瓦哈卡州和格雷罗州部分地区将迎来高达20英寸（51厘米）的强降雨，而恰帕斯州、米却肯州、科利马州、哈利斯科州以及萨尔瓦多和危地马拉部分地区降雨量相对较小。

该中心表示，强降雨可能引发洪水和泥石流，风暴潮可能导致沿海地区发生洪涝灾害。