PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Simon has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it barrels toward Mexico’s coast.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Saturday Simon’s maximum sustained winds increased to 150 mph (240 kph). A storm of that strength or greater is considered a major hurricane. Simon could bring as much as 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas receiving up to 30 inches, the center said.
The bulletin also urged residents to take immediate action to prepare, saying the hurricane will make landfall early Sunday, but tropical storm-strength winds could arrive much sooner.
Simon is expected to bring heavy rainfall to parts of southwestern Mexico, possibly concentrated along Jalisco’s coast and in parts of Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit.
“This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the hurricane center said.
Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas. It also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for U.S. tourists, to ensure that both workers and visitors were fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones by Friday afternoon.
Convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows Saturday morning, when few were walking the streets under overcast skies.
