Hurricane Center tracks Gordon, Helene

MIAMI, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Gordon was racing toward the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean while Tropical Storm Helene drifted in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said Friday.

In its 8 p.m. EDT advisory, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Gordon was about 860 miles west-southwest of the Azores, moving east at 20 mph with top sustained winds of 65 mph. A tropical storm watch was posted for the central and eastern Azores.

Gordon was expected to follow an eastward motion for 36 hours and turn toward the east-northeast Sunday. On its forecast rack, the storm will approach the central and eastern Azores Sunday, and tropical storm conditions are possible in the target area by late Sunday, forecasters said.

In an 8 p.m. EDT advisory, the hurricane center said Tropical Storm Helene was drifting in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, about 90 miles east-southeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, and about 160 miles southeast of Tampico, Mexico. The storm was moving north at 2 mph with top sustained winds of 45 mph.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the coast of Mexico from Barra de Nautla to La Cruz.

Helene was expected to turn toward the northwest at about 7 mph later Friday and follow that motion for the next day or two, forecasters said. Helene is expected to make landfall within the warning area Saturday.

Tropical storm conditions could arrive in the warning area later Friday night.

Helene is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 5 to 10 inches, with accumulations reaching 15 inches in some spots across northeastern parts of Mexico – possibly producing life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.