Story highlights Atlantic hurricane season could be busiest since 2010

Hurricane Franklin expected to bring flash floods, heavy rain to Mexico

(CNN) Franklin weakened to a tropical storm after it made landfall in eastern Mexico early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.

It hit the eastern coast as a hurricane, threatening to bring torrential rains and strong winds to a region prone to flash floods and mudslides.

A few hours later, the Atlantic season's first hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm, forecasters said.

Franklin strengthened Wednesday to become a Category 1 hurricane -- with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.

It was in the Bay of Campeche, in the far southern Gulf of Mexico, when it was classified as a hurricane Wednesday afternoon.

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