Hurricane Simon was bringing wind and rain to Mexico’s Pacific coast Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and its eye still offshore. In its 2 a.m. MST update, the National Hurricane Center placed the storm about 100 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, moving northwest at 3 mph.
Simon had weakened from Category 4 strength over the weekend. The Associated Press described it as a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday, when the center reported 90 mph winds. Simon’s center and eye remained offshore in the latest update; the storm’s outer bands were affecting coastal communities without an eye landfall.
The hurricane center forecast some further weakening, while saying Simon could remain a hurricane through midweek and strengthen again by Wednesday. Forecasts called for 5 to 10 inches of rain along coastal west-central Mexico, with as much as 15 inches in Sinaloa by Thursday.
Wind and rain reach coastal communities
The Associated Press reported that Simon’s outer bands brought wind and flooding rain to communities near Puerto Vallarta. Rain eased there Monday, and businesses reopened.
In Guerrero, Gov. Evelyn Salgado said Simon toppled trees and power poles, blocked roads and flooded homes, including in Acapulco. The Associated Press reported Salgado’s account in a Tuesday dispatch carried by CBS News.
Residents outside the resort areas also face exposure. The Associated Press reported that some communities inland and uphill from Puerto Vallarta have homes that may not withstand a major storm.
Brenda Villarreal, a visitor in Puerto Vallarta, told the Associated Press, in an account carried by PBS News, “We don't know the extent of the danger yet.” A hotel worker in the city told AP that suspended public transportation kept him from going to work.
Evacuations and disruptions shape daily life
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to shelter, follow civil-protection guidance and avoid road travel until officials said the danger had passed.
Jalisco authorities suspended classes in 22 coastal municipalities, began evacuations in at-risk areas and asked tourism businesses to shelter workers and visitors. These steps address risks beyond the hotels and tourist districts: workers, as well as residents in more exposed housing, need safe places to weather the storm.
Puerto Vallarta’s international airport had suspended operations until Tuesday morning, the Associated Press reported. Noelia Carrillo, a tourism-agency worker, urged people to remain alert because Simon’s course was uncertain, CBS News reported.
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The death toll spans separate storms
The five deaths reported in Mexico’s recent tropical-weather events involve two storms. Baja California civil-protection coordinator Ignacio Lozoya attributed four deaths in Ensenada to post-tropical cyclone Rachel. Salgado attributed to Simon the death of a 71-year-old man after a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo.
Hurricane Isaias is a separate storm, with at least four deaths linked to it in the U.S. Southeast, Euronews reported. The Wells Post covered Isaias in its Oct. 10 report; those deaths are separate from the five reported in Mexico.
The forecast keeps the risk in view
The National Hurricane Center’s latest update kept Simon offshore and moving northwest. Its forecast allowed for the storm to regain strength by Wednesday even as it was expected to remain a hurricane through midweek, while rain projections pointed to substantial totals along parts of the coast.
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