Hurricane Simon lost some of its punch but not its danger as it tracked alongside Mexico’s Pacific coastline, lashing communities with fierce winds and drenching rains that left homes flooded.
The storm weakened to Category 3 strength, yet it was still packing maximum sustained winds of 205km/h. At 6pm local time (1am Irish time), Simon was positioned about 175km west-northwest of the port city of Manzanillo, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“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’s advisory said.
Simon was moving northwest at 7km/h and was expected to move farther offshore today before turning back toward Mexico’s coast on Wednesday, it added.
In Manzanillo, the storm’s overnight downpours had already taken a toll by yesterday morning: residents waded through waterlogged streets while soldiers helped families clear floodwater from their homes.
A landslide caused by heavy rains ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Simon in Acapulco
Hurricane conditions were likely already occurring within the hurricane warning area and were expected to spread northward overnight, the NHC said.
Forecasters said Simon could dump another 50mm to 100mm of rain across parts of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa through early Thursday.
With the storm’s long-lasting moisture, total rainfall could reach 762mm in parts of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco, the NHC warned, heightening the threat of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous terrain.
Along the shoreline, officials also braced for dangerous storm surge and destructive waves expected to batter sections of the coast.
Mexican Navy personnel helped people evacuate from flood stricken areas
As the system tracked near west-central Mexico, authorities raised the alarm across a wide area. Civil protection bulletins said 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima were placed under the highest cyclone alert level, while another 93 municipalities were put under high alert.
Puerto Vallarta International Airport temporarily closed, while authorities suspended non-essential activities and opened emergency shelters in threatened coastal communities.
Earlier, President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents of coastal communities in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to remain indoors as the storm, then a Category 4 hurricane, approached the coast.
On Saturday, Manzanillo had appeared largely calm even as Simon loomed offshore, with some businesses boarding up storefronts and civil protection personnel shutting beaches and warning people to keep away from the surf.
Simon arrives just days after Hurricane Polo struck Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees and power poles and flooding streets.
