Lidia has weakened into a tropical storm after making landfall in west-central Mexico Tuesday as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, bringing fierce winds and heavy rain to the area and threatening significant flooding and storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane’s center slammed into the state of Jalisco, near Las Penitas, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph shortly before 6 p.m. and continues to move through west-central Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Lidia – now a weaker system with 70 mph winds – is expected to pound the region with generally 4 to 8 inches of rain, and even up to 12 inches in some areas, likely fueling flash flooding and mudslides in higher terrain, the hurricane center said in a 12 a.m. MT update.
As of early Wednesday, Lidia had brought preliminary rainfall totals of 5.3 inches to Colima and 5.1 inches to Manzanillo.
Lidia’s center is expected to continue moving inland over west-central Mexico Wednesday morning. “Rapid weakening is expected as Lidia moves inland,” the hurricane center said.
Tropical storm-force winds extended 140 miles from the storm’s center Wednesday as Lidia moved northeast, about 85 miles north of Guadalajara, the hurricane center said.
Swells generated by Lidia will likely cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the west coast of Mexico and Baja California peninsula on Wednesday, the hurricane center said.
Flooding was expected along the coast, with seawater being pushed toward the shore where Lidia came barreling through.”Water levels along the coast of west-central Mexico will gradually subside overnight,” the hurricane center said in an update.