Category 4 Hurricane Simon Nears Mexico's Pacific Coast
Simon was 65 miles off Manzanillo with 140 mph winds Sunday afternoon. President Sheinbaum urged coastal residents to shelter as the storm threatened landfall.
Hurricane Simon bore down on Mexico's Pacific coast Sunday, a Category 4 storm packing 140 mph winds. Landfall was expected later Sunday or into Monday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Simon's eye sat near 19.5 north, 105.5 west at midday Sunday. The storm moved north-northwest at 7 mph. Its minimum central pressure was 940 millibars.
The storm was expected to pass very near the west-central coast Sunday afternoon and tonight, then stay close to shore on Monday. Forecasters said it was still unclear whether the center would come fully onshore or slide just offshore.
A hurricane warning covered the coast from Punta San Telmo to El Roblito, plus Las Islas Marías. Hurricane-force winds reached 25 miles from Simon's center. Tropical-storm-force winds extended 80 miles.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged coastal residents to stay indoors. "We urge residents of coastal municipalities in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacán to remain sheltered until authorities officially declare that the danger has passed," she said in a post on X. Precautionary evacuations continued Sunday.
Mexico's civil protection agency put 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under its highest cyclone alert. Another 93 municipalities went under a high alert. Puerto Vallarta's international airport shut down temporarily. Schools closed in 22 Jalisco municipalities. The Mexican Navy activated emergency personnel in Colima and restricted maritime traffic.
The hurricane center warned of dangerous storm surges, large destructive waves and damaging winds. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides were possible in steep terrain. Forecasters called for 10 to 20 inches of rain across Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit, with isolated totals near 30 inches.
AccuWeather said Simon could bring the worst hurricane hit to that stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast since Lidia in 2023. Simon had strengthened rapidly over the weekend, topping 155 mph late Saturday before easing slightly.
Coastal residents were told to finish preparations and stay off the streets. Emergency crews staged for search, rescue and flood response.
