Simon stays at sea as Puerto Vallarta services resume

Simon remained at sea and moved away from the Jalisco coast. Puerto Vallarta restored its operational, economic and service activities. The system’s effects for visitors centered on the water: large swells were expected to affect parts of west-central Mexico and Baja California Sur, and could produce life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions. Puerto Vallarta recovered operational normality with the restoration of ground transportation, commercial flights and hotel services. Authorities reported no fatalities or significant incidents, and the meteorological system moved away from the Jalisco coast without causing damage to tourism infrastructure. The Government of Jalisco coordinated with municipal and federal authorities. Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Firefighters maintained a red flag on the municipality’s beaches, and authorities asked people not to enter the sea and to respect the flags. The swells could generate waves and marine currents that threaten life. Simon ended Wednesday as a tropical storm after dropping to Category 1 at noon. It had winds of approximately 100 kilometers per hour, a pressure of 991 millibars and was moving slowly toward the southwest. Forecast guidance said it was expected to remain in weak steering currents for about the next day, then likely turn northwestward on Friday; the exact track could change. At 09:00, Hurricane Simón was located 260 kilometers west-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. At 09:00, Hurricane Simón was located 400 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. Simón was moving southwest at 4 kilometers per hour. Simon was moving southwestward at about 4 kt. The National Hurricane Center forecast Simon at 19.1N, 108.6W with maximum winds of 50 kt at 0000Z on October 16, then at 21.7N, 111.2W with 35 kt winds at 1200Z on October 17. Its forecast position at 0000Z on October 18 was 22.8N, 112.3W, with maximum winds of 30 kt. The center was forecast near or west of Baja California Sur over the weekend. The forecast called for Simon to weaken as dry air and stronger southwesterly wind shear arrived after 12 to 24 hours. The system had already weakened by about 40 kt over the previous 24 hours, although predicting intensity changes in a compact system remained challenging. By 0000Z on October 20, it was forecast to have 20 kt winds and be post-tropical or a remnant low. Authorities asked people to consult bulletins from the National Meteorological Service, Conagua, and the National Hurricane Center. Authorities urged the public to follow Civil Protection recommendations.