Mexico urges coastal residents to stay indoors as Category 4 Hurricane Simon nears

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents along the country's Pacific coast to remain indoors on Sunday as powerful Category 4 Hurricane Simon approached Mexico's west-central coast, threatening destructive winds, dangerous storm surges and potentially deadly flooding.

Simon was located about 65 miles (105 km) west-northwest of the port city of Manzanillo, in Colima state, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory at 9 a.m. local time.

The hurricane was moving north-northwest at 11 kph (7 mph), with its center about 140 km (85 miles) south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, in neighboring Jalisco state.

"With the approaching impact of Category 4 Hurricane Simon, we urge residents of coastal municipalities in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacan to remain sheltered until authorities officially declare that the danger has passed," Sheinbaum said in a post on X.

She said precautionary evacuations to safer areas were continuing and urged residents to stay off the streets and follow civil protection instructions.

The NHC said Simon was expected to move very near Mexico's west-central coast later on Sunday and remain close to the coast on Monday, although forecast uncertainty remained over whether the center would cross inland or remain just offshore.

Even without a direct landfall, dangerous storm surges, large destructive waves and damaging winds were likely along portions of Mexico's west-central coast, the forecaster warned.

Mexico's National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under its highest cyclone alert level, while another 93 municipalities were under a high alert level, according to civil protection bulletins.

Puerto Vallarta's international airport has temporarily closed, while authorities have suspended nonessential activities and opened emergency shelters in threatened coastal communities.

The NHC warned that heavy rainfall through Monday could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas.

Simon intensified rapidly into a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday, prompting authorities to deploy military personnel, emergency workers and civil protection teams to vulnerable coastal communities.

The storm comes a week after Hurricane Polo struck Mexico's Baja California Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane, toppling trees and utility poles and flooding streets. — Reuters