Hurricane Simon, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds reaching 140 mph, struck Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday, remaining just offshore as it tracked parallel to the shoreline near Puerto Vallarta. The storm’s center progressed slowly at about 7 mph, approximately 65 miles from Cabo Corrientes, a peninsula marking the southern edge of Bahia de Banderas, where Puerto Vallarta faces the Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center indicated uncertainty over whether Simon would make landfall, a factor that could allow the hurricane to retain its intensity. Its hurricane-force winds extended up to 25 miles from the eye, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching 80 miles, threatening the wide area between the coastline and the Sierra Madre mountains. Forecasters warned of potentially catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surges, heavy rainfall, and consequent flooding and mudslides in mountainous regions along the western Mexican coast.
Rainfall associated with Simon was already affecting parts of southwestern Mexico, with some locations in the states of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco expected to receive up to 30 inches. The storm's heavy precipitation and high winds posed significant hazards to residents in coastal and inland communities, especially those in areas where housing infrastructure may be vulnerable.
State authorities in Jalisco suspended classes in 22 coastal municipalities from Friday through Monday and began evacuations in high-risk zones. Tourism officials were also instructed to ensure that hotel workers and visitors were accommodated safely in shelters. On Sunday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum used the social media platform X to urge residents in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Michoacán to stay indoors until the government declared it safe. She emphasized adherence to civil protection instructions and discouraged travel on public roadways during the storm.
In Puerto Vallarta, law enforcement and National Guard units patrolled the waterfront, urging the small number of people still outside to seek shelter as the storm approached. Some residents and tourists, however, did not immediately comply with the advisories. Local hotel worker Víctor Martínez noted the community's heightened awareness compared to previous decades, citing a Category 5 hurricane that struck the area in 2002, which caught many by surprise at the time.
Despite the warnings, tourists continued to arrive in Puerto Vallarta. Visitors Ricardo Ramírez and Brenda Villarreal, both unfamiliar with hurricanes, encountered police closures along the popular boardwalk while seeking food supplies. They expressed uncertainty about the full scope of the storm’s impact as conditions deteriorated.
Authorities remain focused on precautionary evacuations and emergency preparedness as Hurricane Simon continues to threaten Mexico’s west-central coastline.