Mexico City ( CNN ) -- Tropical storm Ernesto skirted the Mexican coast Thursday with top winds of 60 miles an hour , the U.S. National Hurricane Center said . As of 2 p.m . ET , the storm was about 5 miles north of Coatzacoalcos , which is southeast of Mexico City along the Gulf of Mexico , the Hurricane Center said . A tropical storm warning was in effect from Veracruz to Chiltepec , about 60 miles inland . Ernesto is expected to move slowly over southern Mexico later Thursday and on Friday and weaken as the center of the storm moves over the high terrain of Mexico , the Hurricane Center said . NASA study links extreme weather , climate change . The storm could bring as much as 10 inches of rain to the state of Veracruz and neighboring Tabasco , Puebla , and Oaxaca through Friday , and may produce life-threatening flash floods or mudslides over high terrain , the hurricane center said . It also warned of a storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above normal along the coast , along with large and dangerous waves . Ernesto made initial landfall Tuesday night as a Category 1 hurricane in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo , on the Yucatan Peninsula , before moving back into the Gulf . Complete coverage of weather .
NEW : Ernesto is 5 miles from Mexico 's Gulf coast . NEW : It is expected to weaken as it moves over land . NEW : A tropical storm warning is in effect for the region . The storm surge could reach 3 feet , forecasters say .