Lidia makes landfall as Category 4 hurricane on Mexico's Pacific coast before weakening
Hurricane Lidia made landfall along the Pacific Coast of west-central Mexico on Tuesday as a Category 4 hurricane before weakening, threatening a stretch of the west-central shoreline home to Puerto Vallarta, a resort town and popular tourist destination in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Its arrival came on the heels of Tropical Storm Max, which hit the southern coast of Mexico on Monday, several hundred miles from Jalisco, before tapering off.
The storm system was about 30 miles east of Puerto Vallarta at 10 p.m. Central Time, according to the National Hurricane Center. Lidia was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, classifying it as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which rates potential property damage.
Jalisco and Nayarit states reported downed trees and power lines, as well as landslides over some highways in the region, according to the Associated Press. Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro said on social media that there were no reports of injuries or deaths so far.
Lidia had become more powerful over the course of the day, growing in strength since 9 a.m. CT when it carried maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and at the time was categorized as a Category 2 hurricane. A storm falls within Category 2 when its maximum sustained winds are stronger than 96 mph but do not exceed 110 mph, and shifts to Category 3 when wind speeds are between 111 mph and 129 mph. Any hurricane classified as a Category 3 storm or above — the system ranks storms through Category 5 — is considered a major hurricane.
In its latest advisory, the hurricane center said that "life-threatening winds and flooding rainfall continue to spread over west-central Mexico."
However, the hurricane center added that "rapid weakening" was expected into Wednesday as the hurricane moved inland.
The hurricane was expected to bring as much as 12 inches of rain to parts of the Mexican states of Nayarit, Sinaloa and coastal Jalisco, likely causing flash flooding and urban flooding as well as possible mudslides in sections of the coast with higher terrain.
"Apart from the strong winds, Lidia can produce a lot of rain," Albert Martinez, a meteorologist at The Weather Channel en Español, told CBS News in an email. "This big amount of rain can produce flash floods along Sierra Madre with some mudslides in higher terrains. It's important to avoid creeks and rivers because they can grow very quickly."
Martinez noted that Puerto Vallarta will experience heavy rain and flooding in addition to strong hurricane winds.
Hurricane-force winds extended up to 30 miles from the center of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds were extending up to 140 miles from Lidia, according to the hurricane center. Martinez said a wide stretch of land between Nayarit and Colima "will experience a lot of rain, floods and strong winds."
The hurricane center warned that "a dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding near and to the south of where the center makes landfall," and noted that the surge will accompany "large and dangerous waves" near the coast. Life-threatening surf and rip currents linked to Lidia are also expected along the western coast of Mexico and the Baja California peninsula.
The Mexican government expanded its hurricane warning Tuesday morning to include a wider section of the Pacific Coast, extending some 350 miles to Manzanillo, in the state of Colima, and El Roblito, in Nayarit, which bookend the seaside city of Puerto Vallarta. Tropical storm warnings were put in place for parts of Baja California Sur, including Punta San Telmo extended south from Manzanillo to Punta San Telmo.
By Tuesday night, a hurricane warning remained in effect for Manzanillo to San Blas in Nayarit, while a tropical storm warning remained in place for Punta San Telmo to Manzanillo.
However, a hurricane warning for Las Islas Marías, an archipelago about 60 miles off of Nayarit and 200 miles southeast of the tip of Baja California, had been canceled.
As Lidia accelerated on its path toward land early Tuesday, the hurricane center anticipated that the storm would continue to strengthen because its development over the Pacific coincides with "very warm" sea surface temperatures as well as an upper-level wind pattern that can play a role in the dynamics of a hurricane.
Although parts of Lidia's landfall area are not densely populated, the hurricane's track raised concerns about Puerto Vallarta, a city known for its beaches that has gained international popularity as a hub for tourism and a frequented spring break vacation spot for Americans. The U.S. State Department urged travelers to "reconsider" visiting Puerto Vallarta earlier this year, saying "violent crime and gang activity are common." Not long after, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against members or associates of the Jalisco drug cartel, who allegedly targeted elderly Americans in a timeshare fraud scam that focused on Puerto Vallarta.
