Tropical Storm Helene formed just offshore in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Friday, threatening coastal areas of eastern Mexico where thousands of people are still recovering from flooding spawned by Hurricane Ernesto.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Helene was barely a tropical storm by late Friday but could strengthen again before making an expected landfall Saturday.

The storm was centered about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Tuxpan. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).

Helene was forecast to make landfall in the northern part of Veracruz, a lush coastal state with hundreds of towns and villages sitting along streams and rivers that can swell dangerously in heavy rain. Many were evacuated during Ernesto, which hit last week, and some 10,000 were left homeless.

Mexico's government declared a state of emergency in more than 100 population centers in Veracruz and was providing them with emergency aid.