MIAMI – Tropical Storm Simon has formed in the Pacific off Mexico’s southwestern coast.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds early Thursday are near 40 mph (65 kph) with some strengthening expected over the next two days.

The storm is centred about 135 miles (215 kilometres) west-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, and is moving west-northwest near 10 mph (17 kph) on a track that will gradually take the storm away from Mexico’s coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Simon is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches through Friday in western Mexico and is also generating swells on the coast that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.