Hurricane Roslyn makes landfall in Mexico

Category 3 storm strikes the Mexican state of Nayarit with sustained winds reaching 195km/h.

This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Roslyn approaching Mexico's Pacific coast on October 22, 2022, at 15:50UTC. - Roslyn strengthened to a major Category 4 storm on Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, warning of potentially damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and flash flooding. The storm was some 150 miles (240kms) west-southwest of Manzanillo, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour (209kph), and is forecast to slam into the coast of Nayarit state on October 23 at or near major hurricane strength, the NHC said (Photo by Handout / NOAA/GOES / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / NOAA/GOES" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Roslyn approaching Mexico's Pacific coast [Handout via NOAA/ AFP]

Hurricane Roslyn has made landfall on the west coast of Mexico where communities are bracing for damaging winds, a dangerous storm surge and flash flooding.

The US National Hurricane Center said the Category 3 storm made landfall on Sunday in west-central Mexico near Santa Cruz in Nayarit state, packing estimated maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour.

Authorities declared a precautionary alert in the Pacific coast states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa.

“Right now we are carrying out patrols through the towns to alert people so that they can keep their possessions safe and keep themselves safe in safer areas,” said the head of Nayarit’s civil defence office, Pedro Nunez.

Victor Hugo Roldan, director of civil protection in Jalisco state, said on Saturday that several hundred people had been evacuated from the town of La Huerta, close to the path of the hurricane.

Most went to relatives’ homes while some went to shelters, he said.

The National Water Commission warned rains from Roslyn could cause mudslides and flooding, and the US hurricane centre warned of a dangerous storm surge along the coast, as well as 10 to 15cm (4 to 6 inches) of rain.

Source: News Agencies