Hurricane Ida intensified off the Mexican resort of Cancun today and aimed for the Gulf of Mexico as the storm's heavy rains killed at least 91 people in El Salvador.
El Salvador's interior minister said more victims were expected to be found as rescue workers moved into areas cut off by flooding and mudslides in the Central American nation.
Ida reached hurricane status again late on Saturday, with sustained winds of near 145kph the US National Hurricane Centre said.
The storm was poised to swing past Cancun and enter the Gulf of Mexico later today.
Ida could strengthen to Category 2 status on the five step Safir-Simpson intensity scale before starting to weaken tomorrow as it churns towards oil and gas production facilities in the central Gulf of Mexico, the Miami-based hurricane centre said.
The Mexican government urged people to avoid unnecessary travel in the Yucatan Peninsula and imposed restrictions on coastal shipping.
Approximately 1,000 people were evacuated from Holbox Island northwest of Cancun, an isolated fishing community and sanctuary for thousands of flamingos and other exotic birds.
In Cancun, the sky was cloudy and a light rain fell but the airport remained open and there were no plans to evacuate the approximately 12,000 people visiting the famous resort popular with American tourists.
The hurricane centre set a hurricane watch from Grand Isle, Louisiana to the border between Mississippi and Alabama. The watch did not include the city of New Orleans. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are expected in the area within 36 hours.
Ida first became a hurricane on Thursday off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua before weakening over that country. It strengthened again yesterday.
The storm's heavy rains forced more than 5,000 people into shelters in Nicaragua but there were no reports of fatalities.
Reuters