(CNN) -- Hurricane Richard weakened to a tropical storm over northwestern Guatemala early Monday as it pelted at least four Latin American nations with heavy winds and rains, the National Hurricane Center reported.
Forecasters said the storm would continue to lose steam as it treks through Guatemala and Mexico, and finally into the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
At 5 a.m. ET, Richard was packing winds of 65 mph (100 kph) as it headed west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). The eye of the storm was about 170 miles (275 km) south-southeast of Campeche, Mexico, the hurricane center said.
The Belize National Emergency Management Organization said Sunday all public buses have stopped running and advised private cars to also get off the road.
It urged people living in Dangriga, a town in southern Belize, and in vulnerable parts of Belize City to seek shelter immediately. All vessels should remain in port, the organization also advised.
Belize, a small country in Central America popular among tourists for its pristine beaches and coral reefs, has a hurricane warning in effect, the National Hurricane Center reported, although it said those conditions have likely diminished.
CNN
