PUERTO VALLARTA: Hurricane Roslyn made landfall on the west coast of Mexico on Sunday as a powerful Category 3 storm, the US National Hurricane Center said, as communities braced for damaging winds, a dangerous storm surge and flash flooding.
The storm hit the central Nayarit state around 5:30 am packing estimated maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres per hour, the NHC said.
Just hours before hitting the Mexican coast, Roslyn was downgraded to a Category 3 storm on the five-tier Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale, with the NHC predicting "rapid weakening" after landfall.
"Roslyn is expected to produce a life-threatening storm surge with significant coastal flooding in areas of onshore winds" through Sunday, the NHC said, adding that near the coast "the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves."
It warned as well of damaging winds and heavy rains that could cause flash flooding and landslides.
Authorities have declared a precautionary alert in the Pacific coast states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa.
Victor Hugo Roldan, director of civil protection in Jalisco, told reporters on Saturday that several hundred people had been evacuated from the town of La Huerta, close to the hurricane's expected path. Most went to relatives' homes, while some went to shelters, he said.
Jalisco, which is slated to get up to 25 centimetres of rain in some spots, set up shelters in the cities of Cabo Corrientes, La Huerta and the tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta. Businesses in the resort town began to close on Saturday afternoon on officials' recommendations.
Residents rushed to make last-minute preparations, though by late on Saturday afternoon some tourists were still lounging on the beach or unsuccessfully searching for open bars and restaurants. -- AFP
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