Hurricane Simon made landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast on Tuesday, bringing torrential rain, flooding, and landslides to coastal communities between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta. The Category 1 storm, with sustained winds of 90 mph, remained offshore but its outer bands pounded western Mexico, causing at least five confirmed deaths and widespread damage.
Emergency responders in Baja California reported four fatalities linked to the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, which transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone. In Ensenada, floodwaters swept through neighborhoods, submerging streets and homes. Resident Johana Nuriulu described the sudden deluge: “We heard a loud noise that sounded like ocean waves, but really loud. Everything was being dragged away.” The military conducted helicopter rescues, saving 32 people, including 22 foreigners—among them 22 youths, Germans, and Americans—from a ranch cut off by landslides. Officials confirmed the recovery of four bodies: a 13-year-old girl, two women, and a 4-year-old boy. Six people remained missing as of late Monday, including a father and son from San Felipe.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami forecast that Simon would weaken slightly over the next day but remain a hurricane through midweek, with the potential to re-intensify by Wednesday. Forecasters warned of 5 to 10 inches of rain across coastal west-central Mexico, with isolated totals reaching 15 inches in Sinaloa by Thursday. Meanwhile, flood advisories were lifted in the southwestern U.S. after the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel caused weekend flooding in Las Vegas.
In Baja California, Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila and state officials coordinated rescue operations, while Civil Protection Coordinator Ignacio Lozoya reported ongoing search efforts for the missing. The storm’s outer bands extended 10 miles for hurricane-force winds and 45 miles for tropical-storm-force winds, though impacts were concentrated along the coast. Authorities urged residents to avoid flooded roads and low-lying areas as rivers and streams overflowed their banks. No major structural damage to critical infrastructure was immediately reported, but assessments were ongoing as conditions allowed.