MANZANILLO, Mexico — Hurricane Simon, an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, pushed its core up against the west-central coast of Mexico early Sunday, with forecasters warning of catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surge and flooding rains, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
At 6 a.m. CST, the eye of Simon was about 60 miles west of Manzanillo and 110 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, moving north-northwest at 6 mph with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph and a minimum central pressure of 933 millibars, the center said in its intermediate advisory 16A. Simon is expected to be near or just inland over west-central Mexico later Sunday and to move very close to the coast on Monday; some slight weakening could occur, but it is forecast to stay a major hurricane Sunday, and could weaken rapidly if its core moves fully onshore.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Punta San Telmo to El Roblito and for the Islas Marías, with a tropical storm watch east of Punta San Telmo to Lázaro Cárdenas. The center expects an additional 10 to 20 inches of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with isolated totals of 30 inches possible in Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco through Monday, bringing life-threatening flooding and mudslides in steep terrain. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 25 miles from the center.
Jalisco state declared a red alert for several municipalities, Puerto Vallarta’s airport suspended operations, and Mexico’s navy evacuated about 100 people from coastal settlements, AFP reported. Rain from Simon has already caused flooding in Acapulco. In Puerto Vallarta, shop owners sandbagged and boarded up their stores; one boutique owner put up a sign reading “Simon, be brief, be peaceful,” according to AFP.
Simon is the latest storm in a busy Pacific season, with El Niño weakening the wind shear that normally limits hurricanes, AFP said. On the Atlantic side, the remnants of Isaias, which killed at least four people in the southeastern United States, were still bringing a flood threat to the region.
Sources: National Hurricane Center, AFP
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