Puerto Vallarta boards up as Hurricane Simon hits Category 4 strength

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico - Simon has strengthened into a powerful Category Four hurricane as it barrels toward Mexico's coast.

The National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Saturday (Oct 10) that Simon's maximum sustained winds increased to 150 mph (240 kph). A storm of that strength or greater is considered a major hurricane.

The centre said it expected Simon "to be near or just inland" of Mexico's west-central coast on Sunday. The hurricane could bring as much as 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimetres).

"This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the centre warned in a bulletin that also urged residents to take immediate action to prepare as tropical-storm conditions were expected to arrive Saturday afternoon.

According to the National Hurricane Centre, Simon was about 65 kilometres south-southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico on Saturday and moving slowly northward.

Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas. It also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for US tourists, to ensure that both workers and visitors were fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones by Friday afternoon.

Convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows Saturday morning, when few were walking the streets under overcast skies.

"Let's hope it doesn't hit us, right? That it doesn't affect us," Jesus Gomez said as he stood outside a shop and handed out free samples of candied peanuts to passersby. "We'll be working as usual throughout the day, but when Civil Protection officials come and tell us we need to close, then we'll close and take shelter until the storm passes."

The hurricane centre expected a dangerous storm surge "along the immediate coast near and to the east of where the centre makes landfall." The agency warned that near the coast, large and destructive waves will accompany the surge.

Meanwhile, Canadian tourist Ed Currie, who along with his wife still has five more days to enjoy Puerto Vallarta, said the hurricane had not yet affected his plans.

"Just stay in the hotel and look out the window hopefully," he said of what the couple would do Saturday. "I just don't know what to expect."

[[nid:747319]]