Hurricane Simon skirts Mexico’s Pacific coast as beachside communities and tourist areas prepare for impacts

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Category 4 Hurricane Simon threatened coastal communities and popular tourist destinations along Mexico’s Pacific Coast on Sunday, as authorities urged residents to take shelter.

The international airport in Puerto Vallarta, a resort city on the shore of Bahía de Banderas, suspended operations as the powerful storm moved north-northwest offshore, along the coast of Mexico.

After initial models projected that Simon would make landfall on Sunday, the storm changed course and its path is getting harder to predict. It’s now expected to remain offshore through Monday, and the models are split on whether it will actually move inland or stay entirely offshore.

The hurricane is moving at a speed of 7 mph with maximum winds of 140 mph, according to the 1 p.m. ET report issued Sunday by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The “extremely dangerous” storm is about 85 miles west-northwest of Manzanillo, a coastal city in the Mexican state of Colima, and 65 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, in the state of Jalisco, according to the NHC report.

The national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency (CNPC), Laura Velázquez Alzúa, told reporters that despite the hurricane not yet making landfall, it is still “very close to the Mexican coast.”

But authorities are urging residents to take shelter, as the storm’s path is still somewhat uncertain.

“We ask that you remain vigilant,” Velázquez said.

The coordinator said that the effects of Simon — which include “strong winds, high waves, and storm surge,” particularly along the northern coast of Jalisco state — will continue through Monday.

The storm’s current projected path indicates that it has several “probable impacts” on certain states, which is why “Simon concerns us greatly,” Dr. Jorge Zavala, a climate scientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told CNN.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, and Nayarit to remain in shelter “until an official announcement that the danger has passed” after the CNPC warned of “exceptional rainfall” and “intense winds” in those states.

“The wind and rain will suddenly and deceptively subside, creating an apparent calm that does not mean the danger has passed,” the agency warned in a statement.

Nonessential activities have been suspended, and precautionary evacuations are continuing, Sheinbaum said on Sunday.

Along the boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta, police reminded tourists that the area was closed and urged them to take shelter as the storm approaches, the Associated Press reported.

“We don’t know the extent of the danger yet,” visitor Brenda Villareal told the AP. “We’re just starting to see what’s going on.”

Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico’s Navy deployed more than 4,600 personnel to help with the response to the incoming storm, along with excavation equipment, heavy machinery, and other emergency resources.

As Simon moves closer to the coast, its heavy rain has already caused damage.

Federal authorities are working to restore power in some areas, including Acapulco, a coastal city in Mexico’s Guerrero state that was devastated three years ago by Hurricane Otis.

In Manzanillo, the Navy helped remove water from some houses that were flooded by the storm.

Manzanillo resident Cecilia Palomar told Reuters that the water started rising in her home at dawn.

“It had risen before, but not like this,” Palomar said. “Beds, refrigerators, heaters, all the furniture got wet, the whole house is flooded.”

The Pacific Airport Group (GAP) reported that the Puerto Vallarta airport will remain closed until 10 a.m. ET on Monday. Flights at the airport in Manzanillo were also suspended for the day.

Uriel Blanco contributed to this report.

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周日，四级飓风西蒙威胁到墨西哥太平洋沿岸的沿海社区和热门旅游目的地，当局敦促居民寻找避难所。

位于巴亚尔塔港（Bahía de Banderas 海岸的度假城市）的国际机场因强风暴沿墨西哥海岸向西北偏北方向移动而暂停运营。

最初模型预测西蒙风暴将于周日登陆，但随后风暴路径发生改变，目前更难预测。预计风暴将在周一之前一直停留在近海，而各模型对于风暴最终是会登陆还是完全停留在近海存在分歧。

根据美国国家飓风中心（NHC）周日下午 1 点（美国东部时间）发布的报告，飓风正以每小时 7 英里的速度移动，最大风速为每小时 140 英里。

据美国国家飓风中心 (NHC) 报告，这场“极其危险”的风暴位于墨西哥科利马州沿海城市曼萨尼约西北偏西约 85 英里处，哈利斯科州卡波科连特斯东南偏南约 65 英里处。

墨西哥民防局（CNPC）国家协调员劳拉·贝拉斯克斯·阿尔苏亚告诉记者，尽管飓风尚未登陆，但它仍然“非常接近墨西哥海岸”。

但由于风暴路径仍存在一定不确定性，当局敦促居民寻找避难场所。

“我们要求你们保持警惕，”韦拉斯克斯说。

协调员表示，西蒙飓风的影响——包括“强风、巨浪和风暴潮”，尤其是在哈利斯科州北部沿海地区——将持续到周一。

墨西哥国立自治大学气候科学家豪尔赫·萨瓦拉博士告诉 CNN：“风暴目前的预测路径表明，它可能会对某些州造成一些‘潜在影响’，这就是为什么‘西蒙飓风让我们非常担忧’。”

墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·欣鲍姆敦促哈利斯科州、科利马州、米却肯州和纳亚里特州的居民留在避难所，“直到官方宣布危险解除为止”。此前，墨西哥国家石油公司警告称，这些州将出现“异常降雨”和“强风”。

该机构在一份声明中警告说：“风雨会突然减弱，看似平静，但这并不意味着危险已经过去。”

谢因鲍姆周日表示，非必要活动已经暂停，预防性疏散仍在继续。

据美联社报道，在巴亚尔塔港的海滨步道上，警方提醒游客该地区已封闭，并敦促他们在风暴来袭时寻找避难场所。

“我们还不清楚危险的程度，”游客布伦达·维拉雷亚尔告诉美联社，“我们才刚刚开始了解情况。”

Ulises Ruiz/法新社/盖蒂图片社

墨西哥海军部署了 4600 多名人员协助应对即将到来的风暴，同时还提供了挖掘设备、重型机械和其他应急资源。

随着西蒙飓风逼近海岸，其带来的强降雨已经造成了破坏。

联邦当局正在努力恢复部分地区的电力供应，其中包括墨西哥格雷罗州沿海城市阿卡普尔科。三年前，该市曾遭受飓风奥蒂斯的重创。

在曼萨尼约，海军帮助一些被暴雨淹没的房屋排出积水。

曼萨尼约居民塞西莉亚·帕洛玛告诉路透社，她家的水位在黎明时分开始上涨。

“以前水位也涨过，但没这么高，”帕洛玛说。“床、冰箱、暖气，所有家具都湿了，整栋房子都被淹了。”

太平洋机场集团（GAP）宣布，巴亚尔塔港机场将关闭至周一上午10点（美国东部时间）。曼萨尼约机场当日航班也已暂停。

Uriel Blanco对本报道亦有贡献。