Mexican president urges residents to shelter as Hurricane Simon approaches

The Mexican community of Cabo Corrientes faces the risk of a direct hit as the Category 4 storm churns off Jalisco.Mexican President ‌‌Claudia Sheinbaum has urged residents along the Pacific Ocean to stay indoors as Hurricane Simon’s powerful winds and heavy rains pound coastal communities.As of Sunday, the hurricane’s eye was moving offshore of Mexico’s Jalisco state, with winds of at least 240km/h (150mph).Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Powerful storm floods US Northeast, causes power outageslist 2 of 4Hurricane Polo lashes Mexico as Nolo strengthens near Hawaiilist 3 of 4Isaias weakens after making landfall in US Gulf Coast as hurricanelist 4 of 4Hurricane Simon strengthens to Category 4 off Mexico’s Pacific coastend of listTorrential rain has already battered residents living between the Sierra Madre mountain range and the ocean. Communities in hilly and mountainous areas have been warned to brace for mudslides.Simon reached Category 4 strength, on a scale of five, on Saturday, as part of an unusually active Pacific hurricane season.“With the approaching 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 that the danger has passed,” Sheinbaum wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday.In a midday advisory, the United States’ National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Simon could produce “additional rainfall totals of 8 to 16 inches (20 to 41 cm) over portions of southwestern Mexico”.Precipitation totals as high as 76 cm (30 inches) were possible in areas of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco until Monday.It’s not clear whether the storm will make landfall. But the greatest risk of a direct hit lies at the moment with Cabo Corrientes, a town that sits on a cape in Jalisco, jutting into the Pacific Ocean.A man boards up a shop as Hurricane Simon approaches Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on October 10 [Fernando Llano/AP]Mexico’s National Civil Protection ⁠⁠Coordination (CNPC) placed 28 municipalities in Jalisco and Colima under its highest cyclone alert level, while another 93 municipalities were under a ⁠⁠high alert level, according to civil protection bulletins.