Hurricane Simon strengthens into Category 4 storm as it targets Mexico’s Pacific coast

Simon has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it heads toward the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Saturday that Simon’s maximum sustained winds reached 155 miles per hour.

The hurricane center said it expects Simon to approach Mexico’s west-central coast on Sunday as a major hurricane, defined as a Category 3 or stronger storm, with winds of at least 110 mph.

Simon as of Saturday evening was just below a Category 5 classification, which requires maximum sustained winds of 157 mph. Forecasters said Simon could weaken quickly if its core moves entirely toward the coast once it makes landfall.

The hurricane could bring up to 10 to 20 inches of rain to parts of southwest Mexico, with some areas of the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches.

“This rainfall will cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in areas of steep terrain,” the center warned in a bulletin that also urged residents to take immediate steps to prepare as tropical storm conditions arrived Saturday afternoon.

According to the hurricane center, Simon was about 65 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, on Saturday and moving slowly north at 5 mph.

“Preparations to protect lives and property must be completed with haste in the hurricane warning zone before conditions deteriorate later tonight,” the hurricane center warned.

The state of Jalisco suspended classes Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from risk areas. He also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for U.S. tourists, to ensure workers and visitors are fully housed in shelters or safe areas by Friday afternoon.

Convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta closed their windows Saturday morning, while few strolled the streets under overcast skies.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t hit us, right? Let it not affect us,” Jesús Gómez said as he stood outside a store and handed out free samples of candied peanuts to passersby. “We will work as usual all day, but when the civil protection officials come to tell us that we have to close, we will close and shelter in place until the storm passes.”

The hurricane center expects dangerous storm surge “along the immediate coast, near and east of where the center makes landfall.” The agency warned that near the coast, large and destructive waves would accompany the surge.

Meanwhile, Canadian tourist Ed Currie, who with his wife still has five days to enjoy Puerto Vallarta, said the hurricane has not yet affected his plans.

“Just stay in the hotel and look out the window, I hope,” he said of what the couple would do on Saturday. “I just don’t know what to expect.”

Unlike the Atlantic, which only saw its first named hurricane of the season this week with Isaias, the Pacific season was very active. The arrival of Simon comes immediately of Polowho criticized Mexico last week as a Category 2 hurricane before reaching the southwest United States and causing heavy flooding in the region.