Simon, strengthening rapidly, could hit Jalisco or Colima as a major hurricane this weekend
Hurricane Simon strengthened into a Category 2 storm Friday as authorities prepared for possible landfall in Jalisco or Colima — potentially bringing catastrophic winds, dangerous storm surge and flooding to Mexico on the heels of Hurricane Polo last week. Forecasters expected the Pacific storm to become a major hurricane Friday evening and reach Category 4 strength Saturday, with sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph), according to a Friday morning advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). A satellite image released Friday by Mexico’s meteorological service shows Simon threatening near Mexico’s Pacific coast while Isaias approaches the southern United States. (SMN) At 3 p.m. Mexico City time, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) and was about 315 kilometers south of Manzanillo, Colima, moving northwest at 4 km/h (2 mph). The eye of the storm is forecast to turn north and pass very near or over Mexico’s west-central coast late Saturda...