Pamela expected to strengthen into hurricane before striking Mexico

Tropical Storm Pamela weakened on Tuesday afternoon, but forecasters expect it to strengthen into a hurricane before slamming into Mexico's Sinaloa state on Wednesday morning.

As of 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, Pamela was about 200 miles southwest of the resort town of Mazatlan, moving north-northeast at 9 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It has sustained winds of 70 mph. Forecasters have warned that the storm could bring "large and destructive waves" to the west-central coast of Mexico, dropping 4 to 12 inches of rain in Sinaloa and the neighboring state of Durango.

Sinaloa is home to many farms, and is Mexico's top producer of corn. The region has been going through a dry spell, leaving farmers concerned over dying crops.

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When Pamela formed Sunday evening south of Mexico, it was the 16th named storm of this year's East Pacific hurricane season. On Tuesday, when it briefly strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane, Pamela became the season's seventh East Pacific hurricane.