MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Pilar is moving northward in the Pacific just off Mexico’s western shore, raking coastal areas with rain and high winds after passing close to the resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

Pilar had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) Monday morning and its centre was about 70 miles (115 kilometres) south of Mazatlan. It was moving north-northwest at about 9 mph (15 kph).

The storm was projected to stay close to land over the next few days while dropping rain on Nayarit and Sinaloa states while beginning to weaken. Tropical storm force winds extended out as far as 60 miles (95 kilometres).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Pilar could to drop 3 to 7 inches (7.5 to 17.5 centimetres) of rain on coastal areas.

In the Atlantic, two hurricanes were far off the U.S. East Coast and didn’t pose any major threat to land, though Hurricane Maria was expected to whip up heavy surf and swells for the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states.

Maria, which battered Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane last week, was down to a Category 1 storm early Monday and its maximum sustained winds had weakened to 80 mph (130 kph). It was moving north near 7 mph (11 kph).

Its centre was about 350 miles (560 kilometres) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Farther out at sea, Hurricane Lee had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). It was about 910 miles (1,460 kilometres) east of Bermuda and was stationary. It was projected to move in a rough circle over the coming days.