Hurricane Lydia made landfall as a Category 4 storm Tuesday evening near the resort of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific coast and remained a powerful hurricane as it moved inland.
“Lydia is moving inland over west-central Mexico as a hurricane.” National Hurricane Center He said Tuesday night. “Life-threatening hurricane-force winds are expected along the storm path overnight.”
The hurricane reached speeds of 140 mph when it appeared to make landfall near Las Peñitas in the western state of Jalisco. Lydia then moved inland and was about 30 miles east of Puerto Vallarta with winds of 105 mph late Tuesday.
A hurricane warning was in effect along the Mexican coast. A major hurricane has wind speeds of at least 111 mph.
The hurricane center advised the public to prepare to protect lives and property Tuesday afternoon. The center also warned that heavy rains from Lydia will likely cause flash floods and flooding in urban areas, along with possible mudslides in higher areas.
Damaging winds, storm surge and pounding waves are expected
High winds, storm surges and large waves will affect the coast of Mexico near the inland track of Lydia’s centre, Weather.com said. Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said on Channel X that there were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.
Local authorities canceled classes in communities around the coast. The expected effect comes after one day Tropical Storm Max It struck the southern Pacific coast, hundreds of miles away, and then dissipated.
The hurricane was moving east-northeast at about 17 mph late Tuesday and forecasters expected Lydia to be a Category 1 hurricane when it reaches Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, around midnight.
Jalisco has opened 23 shelters, according to Alfaro, and the Puerto Vallarta city government said a few dozen people have taken refuge there.
Lydia is expected to produce rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches with a local total of 12 inches in some places in Nayarit state, southern parts of Sinaloa state and coastal areas of Jalisco, the hurricane center said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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