Listen to this articleDear 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated using AI-based technology. Pronunciation errors may occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results. Hurricane Simón was hitting Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just off the coast as its most powerful winds and rain battered people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean. Simon’s eye was moving north just off the coast, and forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center said it was unclear whether it would make landfall. This could mean Simon remains at extremely dangerous strength, sustaining winds of 150 miles per hour. That’s not good news for people in the Puerto Vallarta area, a popular destination for American tourists. Just inland and uphill from tourist areas, many Mexicans live in communities where homes may not withstand the storm. At dawn, Simón was about 175 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes and was moving north-northwest at a relatively slow speed of nine kilometers per hour. A Hurricane Center specialist, Phillippe Pappin, said this western end of mainland Mexico was the most likely place for landfall. “Simon is very close to the coast of Mexico this morning,” Pappin told The Associated Press on Sunday. Waves hit the coast of Manzanillo on Sunday. (Daniel Becerril/Reuters) “We expect catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm surge along the western central coast of Mexico, where a hurricane warning is currently in effect,” Pappin said. “They are also receiving very heavy rainfall associated with the storm that will likely produce life-threatening flooding and landslides in areas of higher terrain along the Mexican coast, and there will be significant surf.” As for predicting whether Simon will make landfall or not, “It’s a little tricky right now” to forecast, since the eye is “basically moving very close or parallel to the coast right now,” Pappin said. But he predicted that Cabo Corrientes is the area most likely to receive a direct hit from the system on Sunday. Heavy rain elsewhere Meanwhile, the hurricane was dumping rain on parts of southwestern Mexico. It could cause between 25 and 50 cm of rain in many places, and some areas of the states of Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco would receive up to 76 cm. “These rains will produce life-threatening flooding and landslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the center warned. The state of Jalisco suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating people from risk areas, while asking the tourism sector to ensure that both workers and visitors are fully housed in shelters or safe areas. On Saturday, just before the worst weather, convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows. A man draws water from a building in Manzanillo on Sunday. (Daniel Becerril/Reuters) The Hurricane Center expected dangerous storm surge along the immediate coast near and east of where the center makes landfall. The agency warned that large and destructive waves will accompany the swell near the coast. Canadian tourist Ed Currie, who with his wife still has five more days to enjoy Puerto Vallarta, said the hurricane had not yet affected their plans. “Just stay in the hotel and look out the window hopefully,” he said of what the couple would do. “I just don’t know what to expect.”
