MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Hurricane Lidia plowed into Mexico’s Pacific coast at the beach town of Las Penitas as a powerful Category 4 storm last evening, as local tourist resorts hunkered down to shelter from lashing rains, potentially lethal winds and flooding.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Lidia was of “extremely dangerous” strength and blowing maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour (225 kph) in the state of Jalisco.
“I urge people living between Nayarit and Jalisco, especially in Bahia de Banderas, Puerto Vallarta and Tomatlan, to take precautions,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on social media platform X, recommending people to stay away from low-lying areas, rivers and slopes.
The Miami-based NHC said Lidia was moving east-northeast at 16 mph (26 kph) and should weaken quickly as it barrels inland.
In Puerto Vallarta, a major nearby tourist destination, the airport announced it was closing until 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
A Hurricane warning is in effect from the Islas Marias to the inland town of El Roblito in Nayarit state to the port city of Manzanillo, while tropical storm conditions could extend as far as Michoacan state and southern parts of Sinaloa.
Lidia was expected to produce between 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) of rainfall, though some areas could see up to 12 inches through Wednesday, the NHC said.
Further south, Tropical Storm Max left two dead and at least two injured in the state of Guerrero following heavy rains, according to local media reports.
