MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico braced Thursday for Hurricane Max which swirled off its southwestern coast, triggering warnings of life-threatening conditions in areas hit by a devastating earthquake last week.

As Max whipped itself into a category one hurricane in the eastern Pacific, communities along the coast were preparing for its landfall later Thursday.

Directly in its path is the tourist city of Acapulco, where persistent rain and strong winds kept vacationers away from beaches early Thursday, according to local television reports.

“Max is moving eastward just south of Acapulco,” the Miami-based US National Hurricane Centre said in an advisory at 11:00 am (1500 GMT).

The NHC warned that the hurricane could strengthen before it makes landfall.

“Maximum sustained winds are near 80 miles per hour (130 kph) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is expected today before Max reaches the coast this evening or tonight.”

Authorities declared a hurricane warning for 300 miles of Mexico’s coast stretching from Zihuatanejo to Punta Maldonado.

Guerrero state and western parts of neighbouring Oaxaca state were forecast to receive 12.5 to 25 centimetres (five to 10 inches) of rain, with some areas receiving more than 50 centimetres.

Oaxaca is still struggling to recover after it bore the brunt of the damage from a 8.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico only last Thursday, leaving 96 people dead.

The rainfall could cause “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides” in the region, where some 12,000 homes had been damaged by the quake.

Oaxaca governor Alejandro Murat said on Monday that aid distribution following last week’s quake was complicated because of the mountainous terrain.

Hurricane conditions were expected in the warning area within the coming hours. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the hurricane centre warned.

Max was expected to bring dangerous storm surge that will likely cause “significant” coastal flooding, accompanied by “large and destructive waves.”

The NHC said Max was likely to weaken on Friday once it moves inland over the mountains of southern Mexico.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s National Water Commission said late Wednesday that heavy rain is expected in Michoacan and Colima states on the Pacific coast.

Last week Hurricane Katia battered the Atlantic coast of Mexico and later blew itself out in the centre of the country without causing major damage.

At the beginning of September, Tropical Storm Lidia left six people dead on its stormy passage through the state of Baja California Sur, in Mexico’s northwest.

Mexico is one of the countries most vulnerable to hurricanes because of its thousands of miles of coastline on both the Atlantic and Pacific and its proximity to the hurricane belt.