Hurricane Simon battered Mexico’s Pacific coast as a powerful Category 4 storm on Sunday, bringing catastrophic wind threats, torrential rain, and dangerous storm surges while forcing evacuations across Jalisco, Michoacan, and Colima.
Hurricane Simon Threatens Westernmost Tip of Mainland Mexico
Hurricane Simon packed maximum sustained winds reaching 155 mph (250 kph), sitting just below the threshold for a Category 5 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Other reports noted maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, with some reporting that the storm had weakened slightly throughout the day as its maximum sustained wind speed decreased by about 20 mph. The storm’s eye remained just offshore, moving parallel to the coastline and threatening the westernmost tip of mainland Mexico.
At daybreak, the system was centered about 100 kilometers west-southwest of Manzanillo and about 175 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, traveling north-northwest at a slow speed of eight kilometers per hour, while other reports indicated a forward speed of 6 mph (9 kph) or about 7 mph. Forecasters noted that the storm’s exact landfall trajectory remained somewhat tricky to predict because the eye hugged the coast so closely, with some adding that the most damaging winds and rain in the Puerto Vallarta area were expected to hit around midnight and continue through Monday morning.
Phillippe Pappin, senior hurricane center specialist
“We’re expecting catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge impacts along that west central coast of Mexico where the hurricane warning is currently in effect,” Pappin said. “They’re also getting very heavy rainfall associated with the storm that’s likely going to produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides in areas of higher terrain along the Mexican coastline, and there will be significant swells.”
With a hurricane warning still in place along the west-central coast, Pappin mentioned that forecasters expected severe winds and dangerous storm surges, while also pointing out that Cabo Corrientes is located at the southern edge of Bahia de Banderas, which is the broad bay where Puerto Vallarta faces the Pacific. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles, while tropical-storm-force winds reached up to 60 miles or up to 80 miles from Simon’s center.
Rainfall Flooding and Municipal Evacuations in Jalisco
The storm system unleashed heavy downpours across southwestern Mexico. Precipitation forecasts indicated totals of 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) widely, with some areas in Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain. Authorities warned that the downpours would trigger severe floods and mudslides in steep terrain.
In response, Jalisco state officials suspended classes on Friday and Monday across 22 coastal municipalities. Local authorities also initiated evacuations in vulnerable zones and directed the tourism sector to secure full accommodations for workers and visitors in designated safe shelters.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum used social media to urge residents in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacan to stay sheltered until officials confirmed the danger had passed.
Resort Preparations and Tourist Reactions in Puerto Vallarta
Ahead of the worst weather, businesses, hotels, and convenience stores in Puerto Vallarta boarded up their windows on Saturday, with workers also placing sandbags outside a restaurant. Police used megaphones along the boardwalk to order pedestrians and cyclists to take shelter, reminding citizens that the area was closed.
Not all visitors followed the warnings immediately. Travelers arriving from Guadalajara who had planned their vacation since last year found themselves entirely unprepared as police closed waterfront areas. Seeking food near the city’s boardwalk, vacationers Brenda Villarreal and Ricardo Ramírez found themselves facing a hurricane for the very first time.
For tourists weathering the storm indoors, plans changed. Canadian visitor Ed Currie noted that he and his wife intended to ride out the weather inside their hotel while watching through the window, admitting he simply did not know what to expect.
Outside a local shop, resident Jesús Gómez handed out free samples of candied peanuts to passersby while expressing hope that the storm would bypass the area, stating that he would work as usual throughout the day until Civil Protection officials mandated closure.
Visual coverage also captured individuals using mobile phones near the crashing surf as heavy winds and rains impacted Manzanillo.