Hurricane Simon weakened to a Category 3 storm while tracking parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast, unleashing powerful winds and torrential rain that inundated homes.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 205km/h and was positioned about 175km west-northwest of the port city of Manzanillo at 6pm local time (1am Irish time), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
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“Additional weakening is forecast but Simon is still expected to be a strong hurricane as it passes near the coast of west-central Mexico tonight,” the forecaster said in its advisory.
Simon was moving northwest at 7km/h and was expected to continue out over the open water today before curving back toward Mexico’s coast on Wednesday, the NHC added.
A landslide caused by heavy rains ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Simon in Acapulco
Hurricane-force conditions were probably already affecting areas within the warning zone and were expected to extend northward overnight, according to the NHC.
Simon was forecast to dump another 50mm to 100mm of rain across parts of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa through early Thursday.
Storm totals could reach 762mm in parts of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco, creating a potentially deadly threat of flooding and mudslides, especially in mountainous areas, the NHC said.
Authorities also warned of dangerous storm surges and destructive waves along sections of the coastline.
Mexican Navy personnel helped people evacuate from flood stricken areas
Mexican authorities placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under the highest cyclone alert, while a further 93 municipalities were classified as being at high alert, according to civil protection bulletins.
Puerto Vallarta International Airport temporarily shut down, as officials halted non-essential activities and opened emergency shelters in coastal communities facing the storm’s path.
Earlier, President Claudia Sheinbaum called on people in coastal communities across Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to remain indoors as Simon, then a Category 4 hurricane, approached the coast.
In Manzanillo on Saturday, residents appeared largely composed despite the storm’s advance. Some businesses boarded up their storefronts, while civil protection teams closed beaches and warned people to keep away from the shoreline.
The hurricane arrived only days after Hurricane Polo hit Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula as a Category 2 storm, bringing down trees and power poles and flooding streets.
