Hurricane Simon nears Mexico with 155 mph winds and flooding fears

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The eye of Hurricane Simon was just off the Pacific coast of Mexico early Sunday and was expected to move inland later in the day as an extremely powerful storm.

Simon has strengthened to 155 mph (250 kph), only just below the threshold for becoming a Category 5 storm, the highest on the Saffir Simpson scale. It was about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west-southwest of Manzanilla and moving north-northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).

The hurricane could bring 10 to 20 inches (25-50 cm) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco receiving up to 30 inches (76 centimeters).

"This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," the center warned.

Jalisco state suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas. It also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for U.S. tourists, to ensure that both workers and visitors were fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones.

Convenience stores, hotels and other businesses in Puerto Vallarta were boarding up their windows Saturday, and few were walking the streets under overcast skies.

"Let's hope it doesn't hit us, right? That it doesn't affect us," Jesús Gómez said as he stood outside a shop and handed out free samples of candied peanuts to passersby. "We'll be working as usual throughout the day, but when Civil Protection officials come and tell us we need to close, then we'll close and take shelter until the storm passes."

The hurricane center expected a dangerous storm surge along the immediate coast near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. The agency warned that near the coast, large and destructive waves will accompany the surge.

Canadian tourist Ed Currie, who along with his wife still has five more days to enjoy Puerto Vallarta, said the hurricane had not yet affected his plans.

"Just stay in the hotel and look out the window hopefully," he said of what the couple would do. "I just don't know what to expect."