At 9 a.m. CST the National Hurricane Center said Simon had 100 mph winds about 210 miles south of Manzanillo and was forecast to become a major hurricane before nearing west-central Mexico.
Hurricane Simon was a Category 2 storm at 9 a.m. CST on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said in Advisory 9. Maximum sustained winds were near 100 mph, and the center was near 16.0 north, 104.7 west, about 210 miles south of Manzanillo and 310 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes.
Simon was moving northwest near 3 mph. A slow turn toward the north was expected later Friday, and the center said the storm is forecast to move generally northward, passing very near or over the west-central coast of Mexico on Sunday. Rapid strengthening was expected, with Simon forecast to become a major hurricane by Friday evening.
The estimated minimum pressure was 973 millibars. Hurricane-force winds extended about 15 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds about 80 miles. The advisory said preparations should be rushed to completion on Friday.
The Associated Press reported that U.S. forecasters had issued a hurricane warning for parts of the central and southwest coast, and that heavy rain was expected over southwestern Mexico, including the Jalisco coast and parts of Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit. AP said Jalisco suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and had begun evacuating people from at-risk areas.
This is a forecast, not a landfall report. The center had not reported landfall as of the 9 a.m. advisory.
People Sentiments Negative
- The National Hurricane Center said preparations should be rushed to completion on Friday.