Hurricane Simon strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Friday as authorities prepared for possible landfall in Jalisco or Colima, according to a Friday morning advisory from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC)【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. Forecasters expected the Pacific storm to become a major hurricane Friday evening and reach Category 4 strength Saturday, with sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph)【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. At 3 p.m. Mexico City time, Simon had maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) and was about 315 kilometers south of Manzanillo, Colima, moving northwest at 4 km/h (2 mph)【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】.
The eye of the storm is forecast to turn north and pass very near or over Mexico’s west‑central coast late Saturday or Sunday, with tropical storm conditions expected through Saturday morning followed by hurricane conditions Saturday evening or Sunday【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. A hurricane warning issued by Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) remains in effect from Punta San Telmo, Michoacán, to Punta Mita, Nayarit — points roughly 475 kilometers (295 miles) apart by road【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. A hurricane watch extends north to San Blas, Nayarit, while a tropical storm watch extends south to Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】.
Laura Velázquez, Mexico’s national civil protection coordinator, said authorities would establish command centers in Puerto Vallarta, Cihuatlán and Manzanillo on Friday【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. Authorities began evacuations in El Rebalse, a community in Jalisco vulnerable to flooding from the Marabasco River; seventy residents left on their own and ten were moved to a shelter【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. Schools in 22 Jalisco municipalities suspended classes Friday and Monday【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】.
Dangerous storm surge could strike the coast and nearby inland areas, accompanied by large, destructive waves. Rainfall could trigger life‑threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly on steep terrain【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. Simon could bring 20 to 38 centimeters (8 to 15 inches) of rain across parts of southwestern Mexico through Sunday, with isolated totals of up to 64 centimeters (25 inches) in Michoacán, Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】.
Simon could become the second hurricane to make landfall in Mexico this Pacific season, following Hurricane Polo, which struck Baja California Sur on Sept. 28 and Sonora on Sept. 29【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】. The storm’s precise track remains uncertain; the NHC said it could weaken rapidly or dissipate if its center moves inland, or continue north as a hurricane if its core stays offshore【https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/simon-strengthening-rapidly-hit-jalisco-or-colima-as-major-hurricane-this-weekend/】.