Trudy strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane Saturday as it tracked toward the southwest and west-central Pacific coast of Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Manzanillo in the state of Colima to Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco. The latest NHC data showed maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h) at Trudy and about 205 miles (330 km) south/southeast of Cabo Corrientes and 115 miles (180 km) south/southwest of Manzanillo, moving northwest at 10 mph (17 km/h).
Meanwhile, Typhoon Champi strengthened into a Category 4 weather system as it headed toward Guam.
The center of Trudy was expected to approach the Mexican coast on Saturday and pass close to it on Sunday. After the latest warning, the Mexican government issued a tropical storm warning for Las Islas Marias and discontinued a similar warning for its coast south of Lazaro Cardenas.
The Mexican Navy urged sailors and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution due to high waves, heavy rains and the risk of rivers rising, flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.
Authorities in Colima said the risks remained low, but warned that heavy rains could cause damage as the ground was already saturated from successive storms along the Pacific coast.
Trudy was expected to bring 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain throughout the weekend, with isolated totals around 15 inches (38 cm).
Still in the Pacific, Champi strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it moved west toward Guam at 15 mph (24 km/h).
As of Saturday evening local time, Champi was about 25 miles southeast of Guam, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
The storm was expected to pass south of Guam early Sunday local time and continue to intensify throughout the day. Guam and Rota remained under a typhoon warning, while Tinian and Saipan were under a tropical storm warning and typhoon watch.
The governors of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands both requested a disaster emergency declaration Friday. Donald Trump’s approval would authorize federal support and funding for emergency protection measures.
Airports, ports and some health facilities in the territories have been closed. Resources are unlikely to reach the islands for three to five days, according to updates Saturday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The territories are still recovering from super typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, which hit in April and July respectively.
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