Mexico prepares for yet another hurricane

The storm-battered coast of western Mexico is braced for the arrival of another tropical system in what has been one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record. Tropical Storm Simon is weakening, but is still likely to dump flooding rains across the Baja California peninsula.

Hurricane Simon weakened into a tropical storm on Monday having once been a powerful Category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.

The storm is expected to reach the north of the peninsular around the end of the week. By that stage it is expected to have been downgraded into a tropical depression.

Although the winds should not be a problem, heavy rain is likely to cause life threatening floods and mudslides across the northwest of Mexico. Rainfall totals in excess of 200mm are possible as the storm passes through.

The region is still struggling to recover from the ravages of previous storms which have hit the area over the past few months. It has been an unusually busy hurricane season in the eastern Pacific.

While there have only been 5 named storms in the Atlantic, there have been 19 named storms and 14 hurricanes in the eastern Pacific this year. In an average season we would expect to see 15 named storms and 8 hurricanes. The season runs until 30 November so there is still scope for more to come