By Aida Pelaez-Fernandez
MEXICO CITY, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Hurricane Simon is rapidly intensifying off Mexico’s Pacific coast, packing sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) as it churns toward a stretch of coastline dotted with beach resorts and fishing towns, the US National Hurricane Center said on Friday.
Simon, currently a Category 1 hurricane, is forecast to become a dangerous Category 4 by Saturday as it nears Mexico’s southwestern and west-central Pacific coast, one of the country’s most popular tourist regions, the NHC said.
Simon is expected to make landfall on Sunday between Manzanillo — Mexico’s largest port and the main gateway for trade with Asia — and Puerto Vallarta, a popular beach destination and home to nearly 300,000 residents.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Punta San Telmo, in Michoacan, to vacation hotspot Punta Mita, in Nayarit, while authorities expanded storm alerts in surrounding areas as Simon continued to intensify, according to the latest NHC advisory.
The Mexican Navy activated emergency response personnel in Colima and restricted maritime traffic along parts of the Pacific coast, closing ports to smaller vessels and barring larger vessels from operating in Michoacan.
“Rapid intensification is expected to continue, and Simon is expected to be a very dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the coast of Mexico,” the Miami-based center said.
Simon was about 210 miles (335 km) south of Manzanillo in the morning and moving northwest, according to the NHC.
RISKS AND PRECAUTIONS
“We ask people to stay indoors at their homes and in temporary shelters while the hurricane passes,” Laura Velazquez, national coordinator of civil protection, said at a press conference, adding that Simon is expected to reach Mexico’s coast as a major Category 3 or 4 hurricane.
Forecasters warned that Simon could bring life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with isolated rainfall totals reaching 25 inches (64 cm) in parts of Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit.
Mexican authorities warned heavy rainfall was expected in the states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Oaxaca, Jalisco and Colima, and urged residents to remain on alert.
In the state of Jalisco, residents of the community of El Rebalse in the municipality of Cihuatlan have been evacuated as a preventive measure. Seventy people evacuated on their own while 10 moved to a temporary shelter.
Mexico’s civil protection authorities urged residents on the Pacific coast to watch for small cracks, tilting trees or fences, and water seepage, due to the increasing risk of landslides caused by the rains.
Classes have been suspended for schools in 22 municipalities across the state on Friday and Monday in anticipation of heavy rain, Jalisco’s governor Pablo Lemus said on X.
Last week, Hurricane Polo made landfall on the Baja California Peninsula as a Category 2 storm, toppling trees and utility poles, flooding streets and causing other property damage.
Private forecaster AccuWeather expects Simon to make landfall on Mexico’s southwestern coast early on Sunday, potentially affecting the coastal areas of Jalisco and Colima.
(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez in Barcelona, Lizbeth Diaz, Diego Oré and Natalia Siniawski in Mexico City; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and Bill Berkrot)
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