( CNN ) -- Tropical Storm Fernand is expected to make landfall early Monday , just hours after it formed over the western Bay of Campeche off the coast of Mexico . As of Sunday evening , the storm was about 25 miles ( 40 kilometers ) east of Veracruz and 160 miles ( 260 kilometers ) southeast of Tuxpan , according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center . Fernand had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was heading west at 9 mph . The storm may strengthen before moving inland , which will happen sometime early Monday morning , the hurricane center said . A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Gulf Coast from Veracruz north to Tampico . Fernand is expected to dump between 4-8 inches of rain over the states of Veracruz , Hidalgo , northern Puebla , southern Tamaulipas and eastern San Luis Potosi , and as much as a foot of rain in some places . `` These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides , '' the hurricane center said .
The center of the storm should cross the coast early Monday . A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Gulf Coast from Veracruz to Tampico . Fernand could dump as much as a foot of rain in some places .