Hurricane Roslyn becomes a Category 4 storm as it approaches the coast of Mexico

Hurricane Rosslyn was upgraded to a Category 4 storm on Saturday as it collided with Mexico’s Pacific coast, possibly north of the resort of Puerto Vallarta.

Rosslyn had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph as of Saturday night, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

The storm was centered about 65 miles southwest of Cape Corrientes — a land point that juts into the Pacific Ocean south of Puerto Vallarta — and was moving north at 12 miles per hour.

Hurricane Rosslyn, Mexico
People protect the windows of a swimwear shop with wooden boards as they prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Rosslyn in the tourist area of ​​Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on October 18. February 22, 2022.

Alfredo Estrera/AFP/Getty Images


The forecast put Roslyn on a path that could approach the Cabo Corrientes and Puerto Vallarta areas overnight before making landfall in Nayarit state on Sunday.

Hurricane Olin October Landing 3 is in roughly the same area a little further north, about 45 miles southeast of the resort of Mazatlan.

Rainfall in Roslyn could lead to mudslides and flooding, Mexico’s National Water Commission said. The NHC warned of dangerous storm surge along the coast and up to 10 inches of rain in some areas.

“Such rainfall could lead to flash floods and landslides in rough terrain,” the NHC wrote in an advisory.

Jalisco, which includes Puerto Vallarta, could see 4 to 8 inches of rain, the NHC said.

The U.S. Hurricane Center said hurricane winds stretched 30 miles from Rosslyn’s core, while tropical storm winds stretched to 80 miles.

Mexico issued a hurricane warning covering a stretch of coast from Playa Perula south of Cape Corrientes north to El Roblito and Marias Island.

Hours later, tourists seemed unaware of the danger, dining at beachfront restaurants around Puerto Vallarta and at smaller resorts further north on the Nayarit coast, where Rosslyn was expected to strike.

“We’re fine. Everything is calm, everything is normal,” said Jaime Cantón, a receptionist at the Casa Maria hotel in Puerto Vallarta. If the wind picked up, the hotel would put away the furniture outside “so nothing would fly,” he said.

While the sky was starting to get cloudy, the waves were still normal and few seemed eager to take precautions; swimmers were still in the sea in Puerto Vallarta.

“This place is full of tourists,” said Patricia Morales, a receptionist at the Punta Guayabitas Hotel in the casual beach town of the same name, further down the coast.

When asked what precautions were being taken, Morales said, “They (authorities) didn’t tell us anything.”

The Nayarit state government said the hurricane is expected to make landfall on Sunday near the fishing village of San Blas, about 90 miles north of Puerto Vallarta.

“Right now we are patrolling towns, reminding people to be aware of their property and to protect themselves in safer places,” said Pedro Núñez, head of the state’s civil protection office.

In Jalisco, the governor. In a small town near the expected path of the hurricane, 270 people were evacuated and five emergency shelters were set up in Puerto Vallarta, Enrique Alfaro wrote.

Alfaro tweeted that any school events in the area on Saturday would be canceled, urging people to avoid tourist activities on beaches and mountains over the weekend.

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