Hurricane Rina has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it approaches Mexico's Caribbean coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

Despite weakening, Rina is forecast to bring winds of up to 110km/h (68mph) when it makes landfall late on Thursday or early on Friday.

Thousands have been evacuated from Cancun and other resorts on the eastern Yucatan peninsula since Tuesday.

The storm is expected to continue to lose force on its approach.

Rina has caused travel chaos in Cancun. Hundreds of passengers flocked to the airport on Wednesday trying to leave, and 90 flights cancelled on Thursday.

With the storm expected to bring downpours and potentially dangerous waves, most schools in the region have closed as a precaution.

More than 4,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from the low-lying islands of Isla Mujeres and Holbox, which are prone to flooding.

The head of Mexico's West Coast National Marine Park, Jaime Gonzalez, said the storm would likely erode Cancun's famous white-sand beaches, which have been rebuilt twice since they were devastated by Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

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