Hurricane Nora heads up Mexico coast; 6 fishermen missing
COURTESY NOAA
This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows severe weather systems, Hurricane Nora, upper left, and Hurricane Ida, upper right, over the North American continent on Saturday. Hurricane Nora is churning northward up Mexico’s Pacific Coast toward the narrow Gulf of California, after making a sweep past the Puerto Vallarta area.
MEXICO CITY >> Hurricane Nora churned up Mexico’s Pacific coastline toward the Gulf of California today, unleashing floods and landslides, and cutting roads in some areas. At least two people were injured and six fishermen were reported missing at sea.
Rescue teams were searching for the fishermen, who had left port in Guerrero state on Wednesday, said Adm. Julio César Pescina of the Mexican navy.
Communities in other coastal states, including Michoacán, Colima y Jalisco, also experienced heavy rain and rough conditions as the Category 1 hurricane moved northward. The state government in Jalisco said flooding damaged 500 homes and that two people were injured in a landslide.
On Sunday, firefighters and other emergency workers worked to drain water that had flooded some streets in the center of Puerto Vallarta, a tourist destination.
Nora had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, with tropical storm force winds extending out 105 miles. It was near Mazatlan early Sunday afternoon and heading north-northwest at 10 mph.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Nora was likely to keep dragging along the coast and gradually weaken before entering the Gulf of California.
The storm was predicted to keep moving north up the gulf, diminishing to a tropical depression and heading inland toward the Arizona border region. The storm’s remnants could bring heavy rains by midweek to the U.S. Southwest and central Rockies, the hurricane center said.
The center said some areas along the west coast of Mexico could see rainfall totals from 8 to 12 inches with even more in some spots.
