Tropical storm Boris downgraded, still packing heavy rain

Terra Daily via AFP: A storm named Boris that is lingering off Mexico's west coast was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday, but is still packing heavy rains that could cause deadly flash floods and mudslides. The warning from the US National Hurricane Center said Boris could dump as much as 20 inches (50 cm) of rain in some parts of the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca.

Boris was expected to make landfall later Wednesday, according to the center's tracking map. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of almost 55 kilometres (35 miles) per hour, down slightly from Tuesday. It was still moving toward the north at seven kilometres (five miles) per hour.

As of 0900 GMT, the storm was 140 kilometres (85 miles) from the town of Salina Cruz, the center said. But Boris is expected to weaken later Wednesday.

...The storm is expected to make landfall as a tropical depression on Wednesday between the southwestern Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, according to a US National Hurricane Center tracking map. The Miami-based center said the storm would likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides....