Tropical Storm Marco Expected To Hit Mexico

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Updated 4 hours, 59 minutes ago

Tropical Storm Marco expected to hit Mexico

NEW: Tropical Storm Marco is packing 65 mph winds, forecasters say

Mexican government issues hurricane watch, tropical storm warning

Storm's center expected to be near Mexican coast late Monday or early Tuesday

Forecasters say Marco could approach hurricane strength as it nears coast

Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Marco continued its slow trek over the waters near Mexico's coast Monday and is expected to strike land late Monday or Tuesday morning, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Marco is just off the coast of Mexico, with sustained winds of 65 mph.

A tropical depression that formed Monday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico strengthened hours later into Marco, the National Hurricane Center said.

Mexican authorities issued a tropical storm warning from Cabo Rojo southward to Punta el Lagarto and posted a hurricane watch from Cabo Rojo southward to Veracruz.

Marco's maximum sustained winds were near 65 mph (100 km/hr) with higher gusts.

"Some strengthening is forecast during the next 24 hours, and Marco could approach hurricane strength as it nears the coast," forecasters said.

As of 8 p.m. ET, the center of Marco was about 80 miles (130 km) east-northeast of Veracruz, forecasters said. It was moving west-northwest at near 7 mph and was expected to continue doing so over the next day.

"The center will be near the coast of Mexico, within the warning late tonight or early Tuesday," according to the hurricane center .

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Tropical storm warnings mean tropical storm conditions, including maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph, are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions, including minimum sustained winds of at least 74 mph, are possible within 24 hours.

Marco was relatively small, however, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to 30 miles (48 km) from its center.

The storm is expected to dump up to 4 inches of rain across the southern Mexican states of Veracruz, northern Oaxaca and Tabasco, with isolated amounts of up to 6 inches possible in some areas.

The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends on November 30.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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