Mexico, Texas coast under hurricane watch

MIAMI, July 21 (UPI) -- Forecasters issued a hurricane watch for the coasts of northeastern Mexico and southeastern Texas Monday as Tropical Storm Dolly advanced.

A tropical storm watch was posted for the Gulf of Mexico from La Pesca northward to south of Rio San Fernando and for the Texas coast from North of Port O'Connor to San Luis Pass. Forecasters said the watch areas would likely be upgraded to warnings Monday night.

At 7 p.m. CDT, Dolly had cleared Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and was over the Gulf of Mexico about 380 miles east of La Cruz, Mexico, and about 405 miles east-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, moving toward the west at about 16 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to move more slowly toward the west-northwest during the next couple of days and reach the western Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday.

Dolly had winds of 50 mph and 65 mph gusts, and satellite images indicate Dolly was becoming better organized.

Dolly was expected to produce rain accumulations of 2- to 4 inches across the northern Yucatan Peninsula.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Cristobal, which formed Friday, strengthened and was 265 miles east-northeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., moving northeast at 13 mph with 65 mph winds and 75 mph gusts at 5 p.m. EDT, forecasters said.

Heavy swells were reported along the U.S. eastern seaboard and the storm's projected path showed it nearing Nova Scotia, Canada, Tuesday. The Canadian Hurricane Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, officially began monitoring Cristobal Monday.