Tropical Storm Heads for Yucatan

Mexican authorities issued warnings and evacuated tourists from beach-side cabanas Thursday as Tropical Storm Claudette churned toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the entire eastern length of the peninsula, including Cancun, and for the nearby island of Cozumel.

The storm, packing maximum sustained winds of near 50 mph, with higher gusts, was expected to hit land near Cancun early today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 160 miles from the center of Claudette. Civil defense officials in Tulum, about 80 miles south of Cancun, advised hotel owners Thursday to evacuate guests from beach-side cabanas there.

There were few signs of storm preparations in Cancun, where winds whipped palm trees and sent newspapers flying across the peninsula’s main highway.

A light drizzle fell on workers securing porch awnings and ceiling fans at Dadyrock Club disco, which planned to stay open during the storm.

Rosio Hernandez, who arrived in a still-sunny Cancun early Thursday for a week’s vacation with her husband and three children, said she didn’t hear about the storm until late Wednesday, when it was too late to change plans.

The family from northern Mexico planned to tough out the storm.

“It’s our only vacation of the year,” she said.

No flights had been delayed or canceled at Cancun’s airport Thursday.