Adrian is First Hurricane of 2011 Pacific Season

Tropical Storm Adrian strengthened to a hurricane off Mexico’s Pacific coast, becoming the first hurricane of the 2011 Pacific season, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Mexico’s government issued a storm watch for the coastal resort of Acapulco and westward along the coast to Punta San Telmo.

Adrian was 265 miles southwest of the Mexican port of Acapulco and heading northwest with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

The center of Adrian was expected to remain offshore but any move to the right “could bring tropical storm conditions to the coast within the watch area tomorrow and Friday”, the NHC said.

Mexico has no oil installations in the Pacific but its coast is dotted with beach resorts popular with U.S. tourists.

Last summer, Hurricane Frank left at least three people dead in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.

(Reporting by Jason Lange and Krista Hughes, Editing by Sandra Maler)