People look on the sea along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
MAZATLAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Hurricane Willa slammed into Mexico's Pacific coast late on Tuesday, raking it with winds of 120 mph (195 kph) that brought power outages, buffeted buildings, and dumped torrential rain on tourist resorts where thousands of people had moved to safety.
Whipping palm trees, bending power lines and causing floods, the center of Willa struck the coast near the town of Isla del Bosque in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, where many coastal areas had been evacuated before the storm hit.
People look at the sea along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Willa, a Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale was one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit Mexico from the Pacific in recent years. It was due to dissipate fast as it moved inland, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
"It was really strong," said Cecilia Crespo, a spokeswoman for police in Escuinapa, a seaside town near to where the storm plowed inland. "It knocked down trees, lamps, poles, walls," she added by telephone. "There's no electricity."
The storm drove into Mexico about 50 miles (80 km) south of Mazatlan, a major city and tourist resort in Sinaloa. Willa had reached rare Category 5 status on Monday with winds near 160 mph (260 kph) before it began to lose power.
People look at the sea along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Willa weakened as it moved inland but was still blowing winds of 115 mph (185 kph) more than an hour after it struck the coast and began advancing toward the state of Durango.
Speaking by telephone, Jose Garcia, another resident of the hardest-hit area, said he had hunkered down with others in an Escuinapa hotel waiting for the storm to pass, listening to it rattle buildings as it drove onwards.
"People were very alarmed," the 60-year-old said.
A man takes pictures with his cellphone along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
The storm did not strike hard in Mazatlan's historic city center, which was nearly deserted ahead of its arrival.
"My house is made of sheet metal, wood and cardboard, and I'm scared it will fall on top of me," said Rosa Maria Carrillo, 36, at a city shelter with her five children, aged 8 to 15.
Several other tourist getaways in the state of Nayarit, as well as the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state, were close to Willa's path, which was forecast to bring a life-threatening storm surge of ocean water, wind and rainfall.
A general view shows the Malecon as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Up to 18 inches (45 cm) of rainfall could pummel parts of the storm zone, the Miami-based hurricane center said.
The flood risk was compounded by rains caused by Vicente, a storm that dissipated early on Tuesday, having drenched parts of Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Guerrero states.
Nayarit's government said it would continue to suspend classes across 10 municipalities on Wednesday.
Palm trees waves in Mazatlan as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Even buildings up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) distant from the coastline could lose power and suffer physical damage, Mexico's National Meteorological Service said.
(Reporting by David Alire Garcia, Dave Graham and Brendan O'Brien; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Sandra Maler and Clarence Fernandez)
A red flag, warning of dangerous conditions, is seen at a closed beach in Mazatlan as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a big room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man walks past a red flag, warning of dangerous conditions, along a closed beach in Mazatlan as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a big room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA general view shows the Malecon as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroChildren who were evacuated from their homes play in a big room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a big room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man looks at the sea along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA general view shows the sea along the Mazatlan coast as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man surfs on the sea near the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man rides his bicycle along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes arrive at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes arrive at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a big room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA general view of Mazattlan is seen through a window of a plane as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPassengers wait for their luggage after arriving at Mazatlan airport as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA family look at the sea along the Mazatlan boardwalk as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man places a taped-up glass panels on a building to protect against the expected severe winds of Hurricane Willa as it approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/HenryPeople who were evacuated from their homes are seen in a room at the Convention Center being used as a shelter while Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroPeople are pictured along the Malecon as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA man walks along at a closed beach in Mazatlan as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort, Mexico October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroA general view show buildngs as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroTourists are seen outside a hotel as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry RomeroAn employee reinforces glass panels of a hotel as Hurricane Willa approaches the Pacific beach resort of Mazatlan, Mexico October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero
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