(Reuters) - Hurricane Franklin is expected to make landfall and bring torrential rains over the next several hours as it crosses the coast of eastern Mexico's key oil-producing Gulf state, Veracruz, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The Category 1 hurricane is located about 70 miles (110 km) north of Veracruz, Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (140 km/h), the NHC said.
"Some fluctuations in intensity are likely before landfall, but the hurricane should weaken rapidly as it moves farther inland," the weather forecaster added.
(Reporting by Apeksha Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
