Hurricane Karl batters Mexico’s gulf coast

Hurricane Karl pounded Mexico’s gulf coast Friday with 115 mph winds and torrential rain, swamping the already waterlogged port of Veracruz and prompting flood alerts across central Mexico.

The storm, which soaked the Yucatan Peninsula this week before strengthening into a Category 3 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, came ashore about nine miles north of Veracruz.

By late afternoon, there were no reports of injuries or severe damage. Televised images showed pounding surf, felled trees, toppled billboards and streets turned into muddy rivers.

The storm came as tourists flocked to the port city during Mexico’s Independence Day holiday weekend. Within a few hours, the hurricane had weakened to Category 1 as it moved inland.

Officials evacuated thousands of residents from low-lying areas and shut the Veracruz seaport, one of the country’s busiest. Flights to the city were suspended and the main federal highway was closed as a precaution.

Residents were urged to stay indoors as Karl churned toward the country’s interior. More than half a dozen states and the densely populated metropolitan area that includes Mexico City, the capital, were on alert for heavy rain and possible flooding.

President Felipe Calderon warned that Veracruz could get as much as 8 inches of rain, and downpours inland could cause flooding and mudslides over the weekend.

Heavy rain was the last thing coastal Veracruz state needed. More than 100,000 residents already had left their flooded homes because weeks of rainfall had overwhelmed rivers and swamped dozens of low-lying towns.

Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera told residents early Friday that Karl could be the worst storm to hit the state since he took office in 2004.

Civil-protection officials were bracing across Mexico’s broad midsection, from coastal Tamaulipas to landlocked Puebla and Morelos, south of Mexico City. Because it is surrounded by mountains and has spotty infrastructure, the capital is prone to widespread flooding and power failures even during normal rainstorms.

Karl was a tropical storm when it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula this week, flooding 25,000 homes in the state of Quintana Roo, home to the beach resort of Cancun. In the neighboring state of Campeche, 11 communities were declared disaster zones.

ken.ellingwood@latimes.com