The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Willa has grown into a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm on a track toward the Mexican coast south of Mazatlan.
Willa has maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), though it’s projected to weaken somewhat before hitting land late Tuesday. It is still likely to be an extremely dangerous hurricane when it hits.
It’s located about 135 miles (215 kilometers) south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes and is heading north at 7 mph (11 kph).
The hurricane center said 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30.5 centimeters) of rain should fall — and some places could see up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) — on parts of Mexico’s western Jalisco, western Nayarit and southern Sinaloa states, raising the danger of flash flooding and landslides in mountainous areas.
Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened but was still expected to produce heavy rainfall and flooding over parts of southern and southwestern Mexico.
Forecasters said it was expected to weaken into a tropical depression Monday night or early Tuesday while moving nearer to Mexico’s southern Pacific shore.
Its core was about 220 miles (355 kilometers) southeast of Acapulco with top sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) late Sunday. The hurricane center said it could produce 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 centimeters) of rain in parts of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states.