Winds and rain whip Yucatan resorts as Hurricane Zeta nears

Hurricane Zeta has begun lashing Mexico’s Caribbean coast resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel with high winds and rain as it heads toward the Yucatan Peninsula late Monday and then a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek

CANCUN, Mexico — Hurricane Zeta began lashing Mexico’s Caribbean coast resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cozumel with high winds and rain Monday evening as it headed toward the Yucatan Peninsula and then a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek.

Zeta — the earliest ever 27th named storm of the Atlantic season — was centered about 45 miles (70 kilometers) south-southeast of Cozumel island, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).

The center was expected to make landfall within a few hours, and Quintana Roo state Gov. Carlos Joaquín said…