Topline
A dangerous storm surge is expected to hit the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico on Tuesday night, as Hurricane Lidia—which rapidly intensified to a Category 4 storm Tuesday evening—is set to bring up to eight inches of rain, sustained winds of up to 140 mph and flash flooding to the region.
Aerial view over Puerto Vallarta a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean’s Bah’a … [+]
Key Facts
Hurricane Lidia rapidly strengthened to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it heads toward the west coast of Mexico on Tuesday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Heavy rains are likely to bring flash flooding and could lead to mudslides in the states of Nayarit, Sinaloa and Jalisco, and swells will “cause dangerous surf and rip conditions” along the coast and the Baja California peninsula over the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said.
The airport in Puerto Vallarta, which is the fourth-most-visited in the country and saw 1.7 million international visitors last year, urged passengers to stay in “frequent communication” with their airlines as the storm approaches.
Mexico’s meteorological service has warned of a life-threatening storm surge as high as ten feet and significant coastal flooding as between four and eight inches of rain falls in the area.
The storm is expected to weaken quickly once it hits land, but could continue to build in strength in the unusually warm waters off the coast and was upgraded to Category 4 major hurricane status Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. MDT, defined as having winds between 130 mph and 156 mph.
Tropical Storm Max brought “torrential” rain to the states of Guerrero and Michoacan on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday, per the Associated Press, making Lidia the second storm to hit Mexico’s west coast in two days.
Key Background
Tourism makes up 50% of the economic activity of Puerto Vallarta and it is a popular destination for both domestic tourists and those from the United States. The city is the third-largest cruise ship destination in Mexico and its airport activity falls behind only those in Cancun, Mexico City and Los Cabos. Hurricanes rarely hit Puerto Vallarta, but a Category 4 storm in 2002 called Hurricane Kenna forced the rebuilding of The Malecón—the city’s popular pathway peppered with a series of iconic sculptures—and in the 1970s Hurricane Lily, a Category 1 storm, forced residents of the nearby Cuale island to be permanently relocated. Isla Cuale is now home to art galleries and restaurants.
Tangent
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in August raised the likelihood of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, predicting between 14 and 21 named tropical storms, 6 to 11 of which were expected to become hurricanes. The mid-season change in prediction was brought on by warming ocean temperatures and the ongoing El Niño weather pattern increasing the odds of strong storms. Without record warm sea surface temperatures, El Niño would typically dampen hurricane season, officials said at the time, but temperatures in parts of the Atlantic have been as much as 5 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) hotter than usual, spurring more storm activity.
Further Reading
Here’s Just How Rare West Coast Hurricanes Really Are (Forbes)
NOAA Says Warm Ocean Temperatures Likely Mean Worse Hurricane Season To Come (Forbes)
Hurricane Season May Take A Turn For The Worse Despite Slow Start, Meteorologists Warn (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/10/10/hurricane-lidia-rapidly-reaches-category-4-and-barrels-toward-mexicos-puerto-vallarta/