Hurricane Simon Weakens To Category 3 As Rains Flood Mexico’s Pacific Coast

Hurricane Simon weakened to a Category 3 storm on Sunday, October 11, but continued battering Mexico’s Pacific coast with powerful winds, torrential rain and flooding. The hurricane’s centre remained offshore as it moved parallel to the coastline, threatening vulnerable communities and the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Simon had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kmph) in its early Monday advisory. At 2 am local time on October 12, the storm was about 50 miles (75 km) southwest of Cabo Corrientes and moving northwest at 5 mph (7 kmph).

Forecasters expected Simon to weaken gradually while remaining a hurricane through midweek. Its centre was forecast to move farther offshore on Monday before turning back towards Mexico’s coast on Wednesday. However, officials warned that the storm’s proximity could still bring destructive winds, dangerous storm surges and large waves, even without an immediate landfall.

Manzanillo was among the areas already experiencing severe flooding. Residents waded through inundated streets on Sunday as soldiers helped families remove water from their homes. One resident, Cecilia Palomar, told Reuters that her house had flooded, soaking beds, refrigerators, stoves and other furniture. Her elderly mother was taken to a relative’s home on higher ground.

The NHC warned that total rainfall could reach 30 inches (76 cm) in isolated areas of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco. Additional rainfall of 2 to 4 inches was forecast across parts of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa through early Thursday, with isolated amounts of up to 8 inches. The downpours could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in coastal communities across Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to remain indoors, follow civil protection instructions and avoid unnecessary travel.

Authorities placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under the highest cyclone alert, while another 93 municipalities were under high alert. Evacuations continued in vulnerable areas, emergency shelters were opened, and non-essential activities were suspended.

Puerto Vallarta International Airport was temporarily closed as authorities implemented emergency measures. Officials also urged hotels and tourism businesses to ensure that visitors and workers had access to safe shelters.

Despite the warnings, some tourists remained in Puerto Vallarta as police patrolled the waterfront and urged people to leave closed areas. Residents recalled the devastation caused by earlier hurricanes and took precautions as Simon continued to threaten the coast.

The storm followed Hurricane Polo, which struck Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane, damaging trees and power lines and flooding streets.