Hurricane Priscilla Strengthens Near Southwest Mexico

Hurricane Priscilla is intensifying in the Pacific Ocean, bringing heavy rains and strong winds to the southwestern coast of Mexico. With maximum sustained winds reaching 80 mph, the storm is moving north-northwest at just 3 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane is currently located approximately 260 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes and about 450 miles south-southwest of Baja California. Its presence has prompted warnings of heavy rainfall—up to 6 inches in some regions—and the potential for flash flooding across coastal areas in Guerrero, Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco.

Additionally, Priscilla is generating large ocean swells that pose risks of dangerous surf conditions and rip currents along the coasts of southwestern and western Mexico, as well as southern Baja California. A tropical storm watch is in effect from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, with expected tropical-storm-force winds on Sunday and Monday.

Priscilla's wind speed and movement — Priscilla had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was headed north-northwest at 3 mph, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Meanwhile, another Pacific storm named Octave has strengthened into a hurricane, with maximum winds of 85 mph. However, Octave is not expected to make landfall and is forecasted to weaken gradually by Monday.