Mexico's Pacific beach towns brace as Lidia becomes hurricane

The hurricane should bring up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain through Wednesday across Nayarit, Jalisco and southern Sinaloa, it added, threatening flash and urban flooding. A storm surge could also produce "significant coastal flooding" around where Lidia makes landfall, it added.

Storm Lidia strengthened into a hurricane late on Monday as it approached west-central Mexico, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, warning of dangerous winds and heavy rains that threaten flooding across large stretches of the Pacific coast.

Hurricane-force winds and flooding rains should begin to hit Mexico on Tuesday, the center said. Lidia was about 365 miles (587 km) off the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta, the NHC said in its latest bulletin, moving east-northeast at 10 miles per hour (16 kph) with sustained winds reaching up to 75 mph (120 kph).

The NHC warned of hurricane conditions from southern Jalisco state up to the Islas Marias off the Nayarit coast, and tropical storm conditions stretching north to Mazatlan and south to Manzanillo. The hurricane should bring up to 12 inches (30.5 cm) of rain through Wednesday across Nayarit, Jalisco and southern Sinaloa, it added, threatening flash and urban flooding.

A storm surge could also produce "significant coastal flooding" around where Lidia makes landfall, it added. The forecaster urged residents to complete preparations to keep themselves and their property safe as winds become increasingly dangerous.

Strong swells should also affect the Baja California peninsula, it added. This comes as Storm Max, which hit the southern state of Guerrero on Monday, weakens as it travels inland. Local media showed vehicles there submerged in mud and carried off by strong currents after torrential rainfall flooded roads.

The NHC warned that Max would bring strong winds across the southern coastline Monday night and could still produce flash flooding and mudslides across Guerrero and neighboring Michoacan states.

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