Hurricane Trudy is battering Mexico’s Pacific coast with heavy rains and strong winds, though it’s expected to move away. The storm, a Category 2 with 100 mph winds, has prompted warnings for high waves, flooding, and landslides, particularly in areas already saturated by previous storms.
In related Pacific weather news, Typhoon Champi has moved past Guam, prompting disaster declarations and federal aid for the island territory as it recovers from previous typhoons.
Hurricane Trudy unleashed its fury on Mexico's Pacific coast Sunday, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds. The U.S. National Hurricane Center, however, anticipates the storm will eventually move away from the affected regions.
Category 2 storm Trudy was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) and was tracking northwest at a relatively slow pace of 8 mph (13 kph).
The storm's center was predicted to linger near the Mexican coastline through Sunday evening. Subsequently, it was expected to pass south of the Baja California Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday. A tropical storm warning remains active for the Las Islas Marias and the coastal stretch between Playa Perula and San Blas.
The Mexican Navy has issued urgent advisories for mariners and coastal inhabitants, urging extreme caution due to the anticipated high waves, heavy rainfall, and the potential for rising rivers, widespread flooding, and dangerous landslides.
Local authorities in Colima have assessed the immediate risks as low but cautioned that the ground along the Pacific coast is already saturated from previous storms, making it more vulnerable to damage from heavy rainfall.
Trudy is forecast to deliver between 4-8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain across the region throughout the weekend. Isolated areas along and near the coast in Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco could see rainfall totals as high as 12 inches (30 centimeters). The hurricane center has warned of the potential for life-threatening flooding and mudslides, particularly in the region's steep terrain.
Meanwhile, in the wider Pacific, Typhoon Champi has moved away from Guam. The powerful storm, with sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph), passed near the island's southern tip on Sunday. As of Sunday afternoon, it was located 260 miles (418 kilometers) west of Guam and continuing its westward track at 12 mph (19 kph).
Champi was projected to weaken throughout Sunday before potentially intensifying into a Category 5 typhoon by Monday evening. All tropical cyclone watches and warnings for Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan have been canceled. Governors from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands had previously requested emergency disaster declarations on Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Guam on Saturday, paving the way for FEMA to coordinate federal disaster relief efforts. Federal disaster assistance is now available for Guam to bolster local response initiatives following Typhoon Champi. Airports, harbors, and some medical facilities in the affected territories experienced closures. FEMA updates from Saturday indicated that relief supplies might not reach the islands for another three to five days. The territories are still grappling with the aftermath of super typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, which impacted the islands in April and July, respectively.
