{
  "id": 13346900,
  "title": "Mexico Braces as Hurricane Simon Grows to Category 4",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/mexico-braces-as-hurricane-simon-grows-to-category-4",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T06:18:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/mexico-hurricane-simon-category-4-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hurricane Simon intensified into a Category 4 storm on Saturday 10 October, boasting winds near 140 mph (220 km/h). The US National Hurricane Center in Miami cautioned of catastrophic wind and life-threatening storm surge along Mexico's west-central coast. A hurricane warning covers the shore from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, encompassing the port of Manzanillo and the resort of Puerto Vallarta. Commercial flights at Manzanillo are suspended on Saturday and Jalisco state advises visitors to reconsider weekend trips. At midnight local time, Hurricane Simon was located approximately 140 miles (225 km) south of Manzanillo and around 245 miles (395 km) from Cabo Corrientes, the southern tip of Puerto Vallarta's bay. The storm carries a minimum central pressure of 945 millibars, according to the NHC's intermediate advisory.\n\nHurricane Simon is a relatively small system, with hurricane-force winds extending only about 15 miles (30 km) from its center and tropical-storm-force winds reaching about 80 miles (130 km). The NHC anticipates further rapid strengthening over the next day. Currently moving north at around 5 mph (7 km/h), the storm is expected to continue that general motion over the weekend. Forecasts indicate that the storm could make landfall near or just inland of Mexico's west-central coast on Saturday or Sunday. There is uncertainty about whether Simon will move inland over Colima and Jalisco or remain offshore. If it stays offshore, the storm may maintain hurricane strength for longer, experts suggest.\n\nA hurricane watch is already in effect from Punta Mita to El Roblito on the Nayarit coast, covering the offshore Islas Marías. The NHC predicts 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) of rain in southwestern Mexico, with locally higher accumulations up to 30 inches (76 cm). Heavy rain could lead to life-threatening floods and mudslides in Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit through Sunday. President Claudia Sheinbaum, who assumed office in October 2024 for the left-wing Morena party, announced the armed forces have initiated preventive operations. She urged people in vulnerable areas to evacuate to temporary shelters. The Mexican government has activated the preventive phase of the army's disaster-relief plan (DN-III-E) and the navy's equivalent, Plan Marina.\n\nThe federal civil protection agency has established command centers in Jalisco and Colima, according to Laura Velázquez Alzúa, who heads the agency. In Jalisco, non-essential activity on the coast will cease at 5 p.m. on Saturday, including public transport and petrol stations. Puerto Vallarta has opened five temporary shelters, primarily in schools and university buildings, with the possibility of adding more. Approximately 500 people have been evacuated in Cabo Corrientes, the coastal municipality south of Puerto Vallarta. Klashi, a US exchange governed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has a 61% probability of Hurricane Simon reaching Category 5. This probability increased from 14% the previous day, reflecting bets on the storm reaching a sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher, the Category 5 benchmark. About 11,200 contracts have been traded across Klashi's five Simon strength predictions.",
  "summary": "Hurricane Simon strengthened to Category 4 with 140 mph winds off Mexico's Pacific coast and could reach Colima and Jalisco late on Saturday or on Sunday. The post Mexico Braces as Hurricane Simon Grows to Category 4 appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}