Hurricane Simon has intensified into a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 295 km/h, threatening the central Pacific coast of Mexico as it approaches to make landfall on Sunday, according to official reports. The storm was located 165 kilometers south-southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, and 325 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. The Coordinadora Nacional de Protección Civil has issued maximum alert levels across 28 municipalities, including 22 in Jalisco and six in Colima, while additional federal and state agencies coordinate emergency evacuations and safety protocols ahead of the impact.
Emergency Evacuations and Closures Across Jalisco and Colima
State and federal authorities implemented widespread safety measures on Saturday as coastal areas began experiencing heavy rainfall, high tides, and flooding. The Dirección Estatal de Protección Civil closed public access to beaches, ports, and airports in Manzanillo, Tecomán, and Armería starting Friday, while guardavidas forced individuals out of rough seas at Miramar beach. Emergency teams evacuated residents from vulnerable neighborhoods in Manzanillo, including Alameda, Santiago, and El Chavarín, as well as the community of La Becerrera in Comala due to severe downpours. Authorities also carried out preventive evacuations in the localities of Yelapa and Quimixto, Jalisco.
Municipal services and commercial operations faced immediate disruptions as the storm approached. Local reports indicate that garbage collection services in Manzanillo and public transportation statewide were suspended, while state governor Indira Vizcaíno instructed the suspension of non-essential activities in Tecomán, Manzanillo, Armería, Cuauhtémoc, and Comala. Departmental stores and shopping centers closed their doors to the public on Saturday afternoon, and temporary road blockages occurred on the Villa de Álvarez-Minatitlán highway and the Armería-Manzanillo free road due to fallen trees. Seafood businesses in Boca de Pascuales in Tecomán and in the resorts of Cuyutlán and El Paraíso in Armería also reported damages.
Government mobilizes preventive operations across agencies
The Government of Mexico mobilized comprehensive preventive operations through a joint task force comprising the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Defensa), Secretaría de Marina (Marina), Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT), Secretaría de Salud, Coordinación Nacional de Protección Civil (CNPC), Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua), and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), as reported by Agencia de Noticias RTV. These institutions established active command posts to oversee early warnings, coordinate evacuations to temporary shelters, and maintain critical infrastructure services.
President Claudia Sheinbaum issued renewed public appeals urging residents in vulnerable coastal zones across Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, and Guerrero to remain at home if their dwellings are secure, or otherwise relocate immediately to designated temporary shelters. Officials emphasized that from 16:00 hours, all ordinary activities must be suspended. Protección Civil established an official prevention zone stretching from Punta San Telmo in Michoacán to El Roblito in Nayarit, encompassing the Islas Marías, alongside a tropical storm surveillance zone extending to Lázaro Cárdenas.
Did You Know? Hurricane Simon underwent exponential intensification over a 48-hour period, shifting from a tropical storm late Thursday night into a powerful Category 4 hurricane with a central pressure of 928 millibars.
Heavy rainfall threatens regional infrastructure systems
Beyond the 28 municipalities under maximum alert, Protección Civil maintained a high-alert status across 93 additional municipalities. This secondary risk tier encompasses 71 areas in Jalisco—including Guadalajara and its metropolitan zone—four in Colima, 15 in Nayarit, and three in Michoacán. Meteorologists and civil protection officials warned that forecasted rainfall totals exceeding 250 millimeters per square meter in Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco pose significant challenges to regional infrastructure, urban drainage systems, and rural roadways.
Hurricane Simon approaches the coast of Jalisco
When is Hurricane Simon expected to make landfall?
Official projections from the Centro Nacional de Huracanes estimate that Hurricane Simon will make landfall on Sunday along the coast of Jalisco, specifically near the area of Pérula.
Which municipalities are currently under maximum alert?
The Coordinadora Nacional de Protección Civil placed 28 municipalities under maximum alert, including 22 in Jalisco—such as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes, Tomatlán, and Mascota—and six in Colima, including Manzanillo, Tecomán, and Armería.
What emergency services and government branches are responding to the storm?
Emergency response operations are coordinated jointly by Defensa, Marina, SICT, the Ministry of Health, CNPC, Conagua, and CFE, managing evacuations, shelters, and critical infrastructure maintenance.
Since mid-May, the hurricane season has seen 17 tropical storms, six hurricanes above category 3, and two between category 1 and 2, in addition to Simon and Isaías.
More on Hurricane Simon
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