Tropical Storm Barry, the second tropical storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, made landfall on Thursday along the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Barry was about 40 miles northwest of the city of Veracruz, packing maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour, the NHC said.
The Minatitlan oil refinery of state oil monopoly Pemex and the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, both in Veracruz state, are being monitored closely, said Noemi Zoila, head of the local government's emergency services.
Mexico's three major Gulf coast oil export terminals — Coatzacoalcos, Cayo Arcas and Dos Bocas — closed on Wednesday because of heavy rain and reduced visibility.
The biggest impact were expected to be felt in southern and central parts of Veracruz state, said local emergency services spokesman Manuel Escalera.
Escalera added that the storm could cross Pemex's installations as well as hydroelectric dams. He said the state was prepared to offer temporary shelter to up to 500,000 people, and that all public schools would be closed on Thursday as a precautionary measure.
The first tropical storm of the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane season, Andrea, formed in the Gulf of Mexico on June 5 and moved toward Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
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