Tropical Storm Douglas forms off Mexico's Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Tropical Storm Douglas formed off Mexico's Pacific coast Wednesday but forecasters said it was not expected to hit land.

Douglas was located about 270 miles (435 kilometers) west-southwest of the port city of Manzanillo, and a bit farther from the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Douglas had winds of about 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, which said the storm could dump heavy rains between Lazaro Cardenas and Puerto Vallarta.

Baja California will also get some rough weather and people there should watch out for any change in course, said James Franklin, senior hurricane specialist with the center.

"Right now we are not forecasting it to hit land but there is always uncertainty," Franklin said. "We couldn't rule out at this point some impact in the southern Baja Peninsula."

The storm was moving northwest at 8 mph (13 kph) early Wednesday. It was expected to continue to strengthen before moving over cooler waters and weakening out at sea by Friday, forecasters said.

Meanwhile, former hurricane Boris lost force far out in the Pacific and declined to tropical storm status. Boris' winds fell to about 57 mph (92 kph), and were expected to weaken further.

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