A tropical storm formed Saturday off the Yucatan Peninsula and quickly made landfall at the Belize-Mexico border, dumping rain and kicking up surf.

Arthur was moving west across the Yucatan with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The first named storm of the 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season formed one day before the official start of the season June 1, hitting land near the Mexican port city of Chetumal and Belize's Corozal city.

Tropical storm warnings were issued for Belize and Mexico's Caribbean coastline.

The storm was expected to stay well away from the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The hurricane center warned the rains could cause life-threatening floods and mudslides in Belize, Guatemala, and southeastern Mexico.