Hurricane Lidia made a forceful impact on Mexico’s Pacific coast late on Tuesday, characterized as an “extremely dangerous storm.” It unleashed powerful winds and torrential rain, resulting in at least one fatality. As it continued its path inland, Lidia weakened to a Category 2 storm.
Officials in Nayarit state reported a tragic incident in which a man lost his life after a tree fell onto the van he was driving, situated north of the popular tourist hub of Puerto Vallarta.
Lidia’s initial landfall occurred near the tranquil beach town of Las Penitas, just before 6 p.m. (0000 GMT), when it was classified as a Category 4 storm.
In Puerto Vallarta, local residents took precautions by boarding up their windows and fortifying their storefronts with sandbags to bolster flood defenses. Additionally, the airport announced its closure until 8 a.m. (1400 GMT) on Wednesday.
As night fell, the streets of the city stood deserted, with powerful winds propelling water across its palm-lined promenade and causing buildings to tremble.
By 9 p.m. (0300 GMT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Hurricane Lidia was packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) as it approached the inland town of Mascota in Jalisco state.
According to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), Lidia was heading east-northeast at a speed of 17 mph (28 kph) and was expected to rapidly lose strength as it traversed the elevated terrain in west-central Mexico.
The NHC issued a warning, stating that “life-threatening hurricane-force winds are anticipated along the storm’s path overnight.” They also cautioned about perilous water levels, flash flooding, and large waves on the Pacific coast.
Videos shared on social media depicted heavy rainfall reaching as far as the inland city of Guadalajara. Reports from some individuals indicated fallen trees obstructing roads and rivers nearing their banks, posing a threat of overflow.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took to the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, to issue a call for caution, particularly for residents residing between Nayarit and Jalisco, including areas like Bahia de Banderas, Puerto Vallarta, and Tomatlan. He advised people to avoid low-lying regions, rivers, and slopes. unleashed powerful winds
A hurricane warning is in effect from the port city of Manzanillo, Colima, to San Blas in Nayarit, with the potential for tropical storm conditions to reach as far as Michoacan state.
The NHC forecasts that Lidia could bring substantial rainfall, with accumulations of up to 8 inches (20 cm), and in some areas, as much as 12 inches, continuing through Wednesday.
Further to the south, Tropical Storm Max, which made landfall on Monday, has reportedly caused two fatalities and at least two injuries in the state of Guerrero, according to media reports.
This event follows the memory of Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 hurricane – the highest ranking on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which struck close to Puerto Vallarta eight years ago. Patricia’s formidable winds uprooted trees, displaced vehicles, and led to the evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes.
Reporting by Christian Ruano in Puerto Vallarta and Sarah Morland, Raul Cortes, Brendan O’Boyle, Isabel Woodford in Mexico City; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer, Stephen Coates, Sandra Maler, and Sonali Paul.