A hurricane warning was in effect along almost 400 kilometers (250 miles) of coastline, stretching from La Pesca, Mexico north to Baffin Bay, Texas, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.

At 5:00 am (0900 GMT), Erika was located 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Brownsville, Texas, on the US-Mexico border, and churning west at a rate of 30 kilometers (20 miles) per hour.

She was packing winds near 110 kph (70 mph), with stronger gusts, and was likely to bring three to six inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) of rainfall, they said.

"Erika is very close to hurricane strength and all precautions should be continued until the storm moves inland and begins to weaken later this morning," forecasters said.

People should beware of battering waves, possible flash floods, mudslides and tornadoes, they warned.

TERRA.WIRE