Major Hurricane Simon set to slam Mexico with destructive winds
Destructive winds and life-threatening flooding are expected as the storm makes landfall through Sunday
Western Mexico is on high alert this weekend as major Hurricane Simon lurks just offshore.
The high-end Category 4 hurricane is set to make landfall Sunday with destructive winds and life-threatening flooding from storm surge and tropical downpours.
DON’T MISS: Staying safe from flash floods, a serious and deadly hazard
Hurricane Simon kicked off the weekend rapidly intensifying just off the western shores of Mexico. Reconnaissance aircraft found that the storm had maximum sustained winds of 240 km/h on Saturday evening.
The hurricane, which is centred about 165 km south-southwest of Manzanillo, is expected to make landfall between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta early Sunday. These cities are top destinations for international tourists.
Forecasters with the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) note there’s some uncertainty surrounding exactly when the storm will come ashore.
Very light winds around the system are forcing it to drift toward the north at a forward speed of just 7 km/h. Computer model guidance disagrees on how fast the storm will continue moving over the next 24-36 hours. The latest official forecast shows landfall during the day on Sunday.
Simon is expected to maintain ferocious winds on approach to the Mexican coastline, weakening slightly as its structure interacts with the region’s mountainous terrain.
Destructive winds and a life-threatening storm surge are likely along the coast around where the eyewall makes landfall. Any deviation in the storm’s track could bring dangerous winds closer to either Manzanillo or Puerto Vallarta.
Torrential downpours will lead to widespread rainfall totals of 250-500 mm, with isolated totals up to 750 mm possible at higher elevations. This part of Mexico is highly susceptible to flash flooding and mudslides.
Simon is likely to push the northeastern Pacific basin over the top for its most active hurricane season since records began in 1949.
Data collected by Colorado State University show the basin’s Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) reached 311.8 on Saturday evening, just shy of the all-time record of 318.1 set in 2018. ACE measures the longevity and intensity of a season’s storms. A typical northeast Pacific hurricane season produces an ACE value of 132.7.