PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — A powerful Hurricane Simon churned just off Mexico’s western coastline on Sunday night, unleashing heavy rain and strong surf on popular vacation areas and vulnerable mountain towns.
The system was swirling parallel to mainland shores as a Category 3 storm, tracking roughly 45 miles south of Cabo Corrientes at a speed of five miles per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters warned that the cape, positioned along the southern edge of Bahia de Banderas near Puerto Vallarta, faced the highest probability of a direct strike.
Dangerous surf and heavy rainfall
Forecasters recorded maximum sustained winds near 120 mph late Sunday, though an earlier report from the hurricane center placed them at 115 mph. Although the storm had weakened slightly from Category 4 intensity reached on Saturday, meteorologists cautioned that Simon remained extremely dangerous. Forecasters noted tropical-storm-force winds extended up to 60 miles from its center, while hurricane-force winds reached 15 miles outward.
Philippe Papin, a senior specialist at the hurricane center, warned that the region faced serious threats from wind and water. “We’re expecting catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge impacts along that west-central coast of Mexico where the hurricane warning is currently in effect,” Papin said, according to reports by the Associated Press. He added that torrential rains were projected to trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides in elevated areas.
The hurricane center projected widespread rainfall between two and 16 inches across portions of southwestern Mexico, with localized accumulations reaching as high as 30 inches across parts of Jalisco, Colima and Michoacan states through early Thursday.
Evacuations and travel disruptions
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged citizens in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to stay indoors until emergency officials confirm conditions are safe. “Precautionary evacuation efforts to safe zones are ongoing; the priority is our safety,” Sheinbaum stated in a post on X, advising the public to avoid roadways.
Jalisco Gov. Pablo Navarro reported waves reaching up to 26 feet and highlighted high-risk maritime conditions along the coast. State officials canceled school classes on Friday and Monday across 22 coastal municipalities and launched targeted evacuations. Mexico’s National Civil Protection Coordination placed 28 municipalities across Jalisco and Colima on maximum cyclone alert, CNN reported.
In Puerto Vallarta, businesses put up storm shutters and lined doorways with sandbags. Police cruisers used megaphones along the seaside promenade to instruct pedestrians and remaining tourists to seek cover, the AP reported. The city’s airport suspended flight activity through Monday morning, while air operations were also halted in Manzanillo, according to the Pacific Airport Group.
Preparations across coastal towns
The Mexican Navy sent more than 4,600 personnel to aid coastal regions with excavation equipment and emergency supplies, CNN reported. Emergency crews also responded to flooded homes in Manzanillo and worked to restore electricity disruptions in Acapulco.
Longtime residents along the coast prepared for the worst while recalling prior disasters. Hotel worker Víctor Martínez noted that public transport halts kept him from work after most guests were moved inland. “It happened to us before. It hit us years ago,” Martínez told the AP, referencing a severe storm from 2002. “Now, though, we’re different. Precautions are being taken.”
Forecasters expect Simon’s center to track slowly past the Jalisco coastline through Monday, though computer models remain divided on whether the storm will ultimately push inland or remain just offshore over open water.
