Severe weather battered parts of Mexico for the fifth consecutive day as Tropical Storm John made landfall on Friday, releasing more rain and catastrophic flash-flooding, forecasters said, though it is expected to weaken as the storm sweeps the country’s southwestern coast for a second time this week.

MEXICO CITY -- Tropical Storm John has caused a total of eight deaths in southern Mexico, and five days of heavy rains have generated severe flooding and mudslides in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.

Towns along Mexico’s Pacific coast are dealing with torrential rain, flooding and landslides after “zombie” storm John strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane.

Hurricane John, which came ashore in western Mexico on Monday and lashed the region with strong winds and heavy rains before dissipating, regained tropical storm strength over the Pacific Ocean late Tuesday, prompting a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning for southern and southwestern Mexico.

Hurricane John left several people dead and neighborhoods underwater after hitting the beachside Mexican city of Acapulco, which was still recovering from a devastating storm last year, authorities said Friday.

Hurricane John, referred to as the "zombie hurricane," has been wreaking havoc off the coast of Mexico since Monday. It was rated as a Category 3 on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale, but by Thursday,