Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called on residents along the Pacific coast to stay indoors as Hurricane Simon, packing strong winds and heavy rain, batters coastal communities. As of Sunday, the storm's center was churning off the coast of Mexico's Jalisco state, with sustained winds of at least 240 km/h (150 mph).
Torrential rain has pounded the populated area wedged between the Sierra Madre mountains and the sea. Communities in the hilly terrain have been warned to watch for landslides. Simon reached Category 4 intensity, on the five-step scale, on Saturday, amid what has been an unusually active Pacific hurricane season.
In a post on the social media platform X on Sunday, Sheinbaum wrote: "Given the imminent 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 the danger has passed."
In its midday advisory, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Simon could dump an additional "20 to 41 cm of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico." Total rainfall could reach 76 cm in parts of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco through Monday.
It remains unclear whether the storm will make landfall, but the greatest risk of a direct hit currently falls on Cabo Corrientes, a town on a spit of land in Jalisco that juts out into the Pacific.
According to civil protection bulletins, Mexico's National Civil Protection Coordination Agency (CNPC) has placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under its highest hurricane alert level, while 93 others are under a high alert.
Classes have been suspended in affected areas, and evacuations are under way. Businesses in popular tourist destinations such as Puerto Vallarta have boarded up windows and placed sandbags at entrances as the storm approaches.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Navarro warned that the powerful storm is generating "dangerous sea conditions" along the state's coastline, with waves reaching up to 8 meters. On Sunday, he also shared video on social media showing seawater surging over sidewalks and flooding roads.
"This is the current situation on Jalisco's beaches this morning — from Barra de Navidad to Puerto Vallarta — as Hurricane Simon passes through," he wrote in the video's caption. "I urge everyone to follow official guidance, take precautions and avoid putting themselves in danger. The safety of Jalisco families is the top priority."
