Hurricane Lidia has rapidly gained strength, reaching Category 3 status, and is now on a course toward Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has classified Lidia as a “major hurricane” and issued a warning due to the expected arrival of dangerous hurricane-force winds.
Situated approximately 155 miles (249 km) south-west of Puerto Vallarta, a renowned resort city, Lidia is moving east-northeast at a speed of 15 miles per hour (24 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph).
The NHC anticipates that Lidia will continue to accelerate, with the eye of the hurricane expected to make landfall on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. This impact is likely to be significant and may occur at or near major hurricane strength.
As the storm approaches, residents and businesses in coastal areas are taking precautionary measures. In Puerto Vallarta, shopkeepers have boarded up windows and fortified their properties with sand-bags to mitigate the risk of flooding. Authorities have suspended school classes in some regions, and residents are urged to seek refuge in temporary shelters while avoiding coastal areas.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has activated civil protection personnel, and around 6,000 members of the armed forces have been deployed to assist residents in need.
Lidia is expected to bring heavy rainfall of up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) to Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Jalisco states. The NHC warns that this heavy rain could lead to flash floods and mudslides, particu-larly in areas with higher terrain near the coast.
In addition to the rain, a dangerous storm surge is anticipated, which could result in significant coastal flooding, accompanied by large and hazardous waves.
Mexico experiences hurricanes annually on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, typically between May and November. This week, Tropical Storm Max left a trail of destruction in the southern state of Guerrero, causing fatalities and widespread flooding. Similarly, in August, Hurricane Hilary, at one point a Category 4 hurricane, caused fatalities and infrastructure damage in Baja California.—AFP
