Hurricane Simon struck Mexico’s Pacific coast on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, with its eye skirting the shoreline while unleashing powerful winds and heavy rain on the region between the Sierra Madre mountains and the ocean. The storm’s core veered along the coast towards Puerto Vallarta, where the most destructive winds and rainfall were anticipated to impact the area overnight and into Monday.
Although the hurricane’s sustained winds diminished to 185 kilometers per hour by late Sunday, as reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, it remained a significant threat. This development raised concerns for residents in Puerto Vallarta, a favored spot for Canadian vacationers, particularly those living inland from the resort regions in less sturdy housing.
As of late Sunday, Hurricane Simon’s eye was slowly moving northwest, positioned approximately 75 kilometers south of Cabo Corrientes at a speed of about seven kilometers per hour. Specialists at the hurricane center highlighted Cabo Corrientes as the region most likely to face a direct impact from the storm, being situated at the southern tip of Bahia de Banderas where Puerto Vallarta overlooks the Pacific.
The senior specialist at the hurricane center, Philippe Papin, cautioned about the expected “catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge impacts” along the west-central coast of Mexico under the hurricane warning. He further emphasized the risk of heavy rainfall causing potential flooding and landslides in elevated terrains along the Mexican coastline, accompanied by significant swells.
Regarding the likelihood of landfall, Papin noted the challenge in predicting due to the eye’s current proximity to the coast. Meanwhile, in southwestern Mexico, the hurricane was causing substantial rainfall, with projected amounts of 25 to 50 centimeters in many areas and up to 76 centimeters in some regions of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco states, posing risks of flooding and mudslides in hilly terrains.
Amid the approaching storm, National Guard patrols and police in Puerto Vallarta were alerting people to seek shelter, with Jalisco state taking precautionary measures by suspending classes in coastal municipalities, initiating evacuations, and advising the tourism sector to ensure the safety of workers and visitors in designated shelters. Businesses in Puerto Vallarta had preemptively secured their premises in anticipation of the severe weather conditions.
The hurricane center issued warnings about an imminent storm surge and destructive waves near the coast, emphasizing the potential hazards accompanying the surge. Despite the looming threat, Canadian tourist Ed Currie, enjoying a vacation in Puerto Vallarta with his wife, expressed uncertainty about the impact of the impending hurricane on their plans, aiming to stay indoors and observe the situation from the hotel.
The couple, with five more days of vacation remaining, remained cautious yet prepared to adapt to the evolving weather conditions in Puerto Vallarta as Hurricane Simon approached.