Frank becomes a hurricane

Hurricane Frank grew from a tropical storm in the Eastern Pacific. Frank has been moving parallel to the Mexican coast for about the past week. High surf and rain have hit the coastline as the storm made its trek to the north.

Hurricane Frank 2010 Forms Off Mexico Coast (Huffington Post)

In the Pacific, Hurricane Frank developed off Mexico's coast. Frank has maximum sustained winds near 75 mph (120 kph). The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Wednesday that Frank could get stronger as it moves away from Mexico's southwestern coast. Frank is located about 240 miles (385 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and is moving west-northwest.

Frank has not made landfall but has brushed against the coast a few times causing very heavy rain and flooding. In Mexico's souther state of Oaxaca, the rain resulting in landslides resulting in four deaths. Heavy rain caused flooding that washed out roads and damaged bridges in as many as 100 towns.

Hurricane Frank heads out to Pacific, leaves four dead in Mexico (Sinchew)

MIAMI, Wednesday 25 August 2010 (AFP) - Tropical Storm Frank strengthened into the third Pacific hurricane of the 2010 season on Wednesday, veering west after soaking Mexico's southern coast, where heavy rains left four dead.

Hurricane Frank packed winds of up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, making it a Category One hurricane on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale, the US National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The storm was about 240 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, moving west-northwest at 13 miles per hour, the NHC reported.

It was not expected to make landfall, although it will pass near tiny Socorro Island on Friday.

At least four people died, including two buried in a landslide, and two were missing after heavy rains unleashed by Frank in Mexico's southern Oaxaca state, local officials said Wednesday.