Mexico City, Oct 7 (IANS): Tropical storm Milton strengthened into a category 1 hurricane in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with no landfall expected here but substantial rain all along Mexico's Gulf Coast and southeast.

"Its passing will cause very heavy to intense rains and thunderstorms in the northeast, east, south and southeast of the country, including the Yucatan Peninsula," the National Water Commission (Conagua) said in a weather alert on Sunday.

Milton is also expected to whip the Gulf Coast with strong winds and high waves, Xinhua news agency reported.

At noon Sunday, the eye of the storm was located 355 km northeast of Cabo Rojo, in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, and 465 km northwest of Puerto Progreso, in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 130 km per hour, with gusts of up to 155 km per hour, and is moving eastward at 9 km per hour, according to the report.

Milton comes on the heels of Hurricane John, which hit Mexico's Pacific Coast, especially the southern state of Guerrero, on September 23, causing material damage in the area and its surroundings.

In May, Conagua predicted the formation of up to 41 named cyclones in the Atlantic and Pacific during the 2024 hurricane season, with at least five expected to hit Mexico.