PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon impacted Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, with its eye remaining just offshore while its strongest winds and rain affected areas between the Sierra Madre and the ocean. The hurricane's center moved parallel to the coast, approaching the Puerto Vallarta area, where the most severe winds and rain were anticipated to occur around midnight and continue into Monday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center indicated uncertainty regarding whether the storm would make landfall, which could allow it to maintain its strength, with sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph).
By midday Sunday, Simon's eye was approximately 65 miles (100 kilometers) from Cabo Corrientes, moving at about 7 mph (11 kph). Phillipe Pappin, a senior specialist at the hurricane center, noted that Cabo Corrientes is the area most likely to experience a direct hit from the storm. This location is situated at the southern tip of Bahia de Banderas, the bay that Puerto Vallarta overlooks.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 kilometers), while tropical-storm-force winds reach up to 80 miles (130 kilometers) from Simon's center, suggesting that the entire region between Mexico's western coast and the Sierra Madre mountains could be impacted. Pappin stated, "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." He added that heavy rainfall associated with the storm could lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides in higher terrain areas along the coastline, along with significant swells.
As the storm approached Puerto Vallarta, National Guard vehicles patrolled the streets, and police used a megaphone to alert joggers, dog walkers, and cyclists about the closure of the area, urging them to seek shelter. Some individuals did not comply with these warnings.
Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating residents from at-risk areas, while advising the tourism sector to ensure that workers and visitors are accommodated in shelters or safe zones.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacan to remain sheltered until further government notifications and to adhere to civil protection recommendations, avoiding travel on public roads. She stated, "Precautionary evacuation efforts to safe zones are ongoing; the priority is our safety."
Hotel worker Víctor Martínez reported shopping for nonperishable food on Sunday afternoon, noting that he could not go to work due to suspended public transportation and the evacuation of most hotel guests. He expressed that the community's concerns about the hurricane were reassuring, referencing a previous Category 5 hurricane that struck the area in 2002, stating, "It happened to us before. Now, though, we're different. Precautions are being taken."
Despite the risks posed by Simon, some tourists continued to arrive in Puerto Vallarta. Visitors Ricardo Ramírez and Brenda Villarreal, who had never experienced a hurricane, sought food near the city's boardwalk and encountered police advising people to take shelter. Ramírez remarked on their lack of preparation for the situation, while Villarreal expressed uncertainty about the extent of the danger, saying, "We don't know the extent of the danger yet."
By Sophie Bates, Kate Brumback, Julie Walker, Associated Press
By Fabiola Sanchez, Jonathan Castellón, Sarah Raza, Associated Press