An “extremely dangerous” and potentially life-threatening storm is barrelling towards Mexico during what has been called the eastern Pacific’s most active hurricane season on record.
Hurricane Willa in the eastern Pacific has grown rapidly into a near-Category 5 storm, which could “produce life-threatening storm surge, wind and rainfall” in Mexico in the coming days.
The storm is expected to batter parts of the western coast between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and is expected to make landfall in Nayarit or southern Sinaloa on Tuesday evening.
A hurricane warning was posted for Mexico’s coast between San Blas and Mazatlan and tropical storm warnings were raised from Playa Perula to San Blas and Mazatlan to Bahia Tempehuaya.
Willa had maximum sustained winds of 155mph on Monday morning and was centred about 195 miles south of Cabo Corrientes, moving north at around 5mph.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the eastern Pacific has just experienced its most active hurricane season since records began in 1971.
Michael Lowry, strategic planner at FEMA, wrote: “Today Willa blossomed into the ninth Category 4 or 5 hurricane of 2018. This record is especially astounding in the absence of a strong El Niño.”
The hurricane "continues to rapidly strengthen," the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, adding that Willa will likely produce a life-threatening storm surge.
By Sunday afternoon, the storm was located about 225 miles southwest of Cabo Corrientes, on the coast of Jalisco state.
Forecasters estimated that total rainfall will range between five to 15 inches across stretches of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states.
Hurricane Willa follows Tropical Storm Vicente, which formed in the Pacific off southern Mexico on Saturday and weaken as it hovered along the coast on Sunday.
It had maximum sustained winds of 40mph and the centre of the storm would likely "remain just offshore or near the southern coast of Mexico through Tuesday morning," according to the NHC.
Vicente is seen weakening to tropical depression status by Monday night, but could still cause significant rainfall.
