Overview
- The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Thursday that Tropical Storm Simon is rapidly strengthening and is expected to become a major Category 4 hurricane before reaching Mexico’s west‑central coast, prompting hurricane watches from Manzanillo to Punta Mita.
- Forecasters warn Simon could drop 8 to 15 inches of rain with isolated totals up to 25 inches in Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco, creating a high risk of life‑threatening flooding and mountain mudslides.
- NHC analysis placed Simon near 15.6–15.7°N and about 104°W with central pressure falling toward the mid‑980s millibars and sustained winds near 65 knots with stronger gusts, while peak seas and large swells threaten coastal erosion and dangerous surf.
- Two other storms are active: Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to approach northern Baja California this weekend with heavy surf and 1–3 inches of rain for Baja and Southern California, and Hurricane Isaias has become the Atlantic season’s first hurricane with surge and damaging‑wind threats for the northern Gulf Coast.
- Forecasters say small shifts in track or intensity would change impacts, remnants of Simon may later push moisture into the U.S. Southwest, and emergency watches, warnings and local preparations are expanding as El Niño‑warmed waters favor rapid storm growth.