Hurricane Simone Skirts Mexico's Pacific Coast With No Sunday Landfall; Manzanillo Flooded, Puerto Vallarta Airport Shut
Hurricane Simone did not make landfall on Mexico's Pacific coast on Sunday as earlier forecast, instead shifting course and skirting the shoreline, Reuters and CNN reported on Oct. 11.
In its 1 p.m. ET update on Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) placed Simone's center about 85 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo and about 65 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes. Maximum sustained winds were near 140 mph, and the storm was moving northwest at 7 mph. The forecast track shifted west of earlier projections, and Simone is expected to remain offshore through Monday; strong winds, heavy surf and storm surge along the northern Jalisco coast are expected to continue into Monday.
Even without landfall, heavy rain caused damage. According to Reuters, downpours in Manzanillo flooded multiple homes, with the Mexican navy assisting residents in pumping out water; residents described their flooded homes to Reuters.
On transportation, Puerto Vallarta International Airport suspended operations, flights at the Manzanillo airport were suspended, and Puerto Vallarta's malecón boardwalk was closed.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Nayarit to stay in shelters. Civil protection authorities put 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima on the highest alert and 93 more on high alert, and the navy deployed more than 4,600 personnel.
The NHC warned that heavy rain continuing into Monday could trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides in mountainous areas.
This article follows GSM's earlier Oct. 11 reports, which said Simone was approaching at 155 mph with landfall expected Sunday; that landfall did not occur. The flood risk has not passed.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Ale Ramos M，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
