Tropical storm Elida moves northwest off Mexico's Pacific coast

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Tropical storm Elida moved slowly to the northwest off Mexico's Pacific coast, causing strong winds and heavy rain across the country's western and central states, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Monday. Elida was about 110 miles (180 km) south of the major port of Manzanillo, the NHC said, with maximum winds of 50 miles per hour (85 kmh). The storm was moving northwest at 2 mph (4 kmh), the NHC added. Mexican authorities said Elida would bring torrential rains to the western states of Michoacan, Jalisco, Colima, and heavy downpours to Nayarit, Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Guerrero. NHC said the storm could cause rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas and life-threatening surf and rip currents. But the storm was expected to remain offshore, slowing to a near-halt on Tuesday before meandering off Mexico's southwestern coast on Wednesday. A tropical storm advisory was in effect for the coastline between Michoacan port Lazaro Cardenas and Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco state. Tropical storm Douglas was 465 miles (750 km) southwest of the southern tip of Baja California Sur state, heading northwest at 8 miles per hour (13 kmh), the NHC said. With maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 kmh) Douglas was expected to weaken into a tropical depression in the next couple of days. Mexico was battered last year by dual storms Ingrid and Manuel, whose unprecedented rains killed over 150 people. (Reporting by Noe Torres, Gabriel Stargardter, Adriana Barrera and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Leslie Adler and Miral Fahmy)