Priscilla was getting more powerful early Monday after strengthening into a hurricane off southwest Mexico over the Pacific Ocean Sunday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, and was expected to bring heavy rains and gusty winds to the region.
A tropical storm watch was posted from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, Mexico.
Hurricane Priscilla’s track and forecast
On its forecast track, Priscilla’s center “is expected to move offshore of and parallel to the coast of southwestern Mexico and Baja California Sur through the early-to-middle part of this week,” the center said, adding that “additional strengthening is forecast, and Priscilla is expected to become a Category 2 hurricane and could approach major hurricane status within the next couple of days” before the likely start of weakening by midweek.
Category 2 hurricanes have sustained winds of at least 96 mph. Major hurricane categories begin at 3, with minimum sustained winds of 111 mph.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
As of the NHC’s 4 a.m. EDT update Monday, the storm was located about 245 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, near the resort town Puerto Vallarta, and about 430 miles south-southeast of the southern tip of Baja California.
It was traveling north-northwest at 7 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
Although Priscilla wasn’t forecast to directly touch land, the hurricane center said, “Outer bands from Priscilla will continue to bring heavy rain to portions of southwestern Mexico today,” with 2-4 inches expected and up to 6 inches in some spots, enough to “bring a risk of flash flooding, especially in areas of higher terrain.”
Swells generated by Priscilla have started affecting parts of the southwestern Mexico coast and will get to portions of the
west-central Mexican coast and southern Baja California Peninsula today, the center cautioned, and the swells “are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
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Emily Mae Czachor
