Key facts
- Hurricane Simon, a Category 4 storm, was located about 65 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo, Mexico, with sustained winds of 145 mph.
- The hurricane was moving north-northwest at 7 mph.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacan to remain sheltered.
- Mexico's National Civil Protection Coordination issued its highest cyclone alert for 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima.
- Heavy rainfall through Monday could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
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), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) advisory at 9 a.m. local time. The hurricane was moving north-northwest at 11 kph (7 mph).
"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 added that precautionary evacuations were continuing and urged residents to follow civil protection instructions.
The NHC warned that even without a direct landfall, dangerous storm surges, large destructive waves, and damaging winds were likely along portions of Mexico's west-central coast. Heavy rainfall through Monday could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in mountainous areas.
Mexico's National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under its highest cyclone alert level, with another 93 municipalities under a high alert level. Puerto Vallarta's international airport has temporarily closed, and authorities have suspended nonessential activities and opened emergency shelters. Simon intensified rapidly into a Category 4 hurricane on Saturday, prompting authorities to deploy military personnel and emergency workers to vulnerable coastal communities.