San Salvador - Emergency services in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala went on high alert Wednesday ahead of tropical storm "Adrian" that was expected to hit Central America's Pacific coast in the next few hours.

Local authorities braced for strong winds and torrential rain with the storm expected to make landfall on Thursday.

"Given the trajectory of the storm, we have decided to introduce a state of emergency in order to protect the population," said Mauricio Ferrer, director of the Salvadoran National Committee on Emergencies.

Authorities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica said they were monitoring the storm before making any decisions.

Copyright 2005 AFP & WeatherOnline