For the Pacific states of Colima, Jalisco and Michoacán, Sunday is a day of shutters, sandbags and closed harbours. Hurricane Trudy, a Category 2 storm, is crawling north-west parallel to the coastline, close enough to batter beaches and hillsides even though its centre has stayed out at sea.
In its 2 a.m. (local) bulletin, the US National Hurricane Center placed the eye about 215 kilometres west-southwest of the port city of Manzanillo. Sustained winds had climbed to around 165 km/h, with the storm moving at roughly 17 km/h. A hurricane warning covers the stretch from Manzanillo up to Cabo Corrientes near Puerto Vallarta, while tropical storm warnings reach as far as San Blas and the Islas Marías.
The biggest danger is water rather than wind. Forecasters expect 100 to 200 millimetres of rain along the coast, with local peaks near 300, enough to trigger flash floods and landslides on steep terrain. Mexico’s weather service warned of waves five to seven metres high on the shores of the three states, and the US agency spoke of a dangerous storm surge where winds blow onshore.
Authorities have taken few chances. The navy activated its emergency plan in Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán and closed the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas and Puerto Escondido to large ships; small boats were kept in harbour from Barra de Navidad to Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. President Claudia Sheinbaum urged residents to follow civil protection instructions.
Relief is in sight. Both Mexican and US meteorologists expect Trudy to lose strength quickly from Sunday night, drop to a tropical storm on Monday and then drift away from the mainland, passing south of Baja California Sur early in the week.
