Hurricane Marty closes in on western Mexico

Acapulco: Hurricane Marty was churning in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexican resort town Acapulco, causing authorities to shutter schools and send 200,000 students home.

The storm was "almost stalled off the coast" which could make it more dangerous since that could increase the volume of rain, said National Weather Service chief Alberto Hernandez.

"It is already generating a huge amount of rain" in Guerrero state, he added. Authorities there scrambled to get students from primary to university level home to safety.

At 2100 GMT yesterday, Marty was packing top sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour, and was located 145 miles west of Acapulco, the US National Hurricane Center said.

The Category One storm was moving northeast at 6 miles per hour. Forecasters believe it could stay just off the coast but will be so close that a slight turn could see its center -- and high winds -- slam inland.
In either case, the hurricane will create driving rains, they warned.

Two years ago, mountainous Guerrero state was simultaneously hammered by hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel, killing 157 people.