Hurricane Simon set to hit Mexico as major storm

Hurricane Simon is forecast to strengthen rapidly before reaching Mexico's Pacific coast as a major hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center said Friday.

The Category 1 hurricane was expected to reach the coast of Jalisco state, where Puerto Vallarta is located, on Friday night or early Saturday, according to the NHC.

“Rapid intensification is expected to continue, and Simon is expected to be a very dangerous major hurricane when it approaches the coast of Mexico,” the NHC said.

Early Friday, Simon had maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, or 150 kilometres per hour, and was about 325 miles, or 525 kilometres, off Cabo Corrientes in Jalisco.

Before becoming a hurricane on Thursday, Simon had already brought heavy rain to Acapulco. Heavy rain is also expected in other coastal states, where authorities have suspended classes and evacuated people from high-risk areas.

Mexico is hit by cyclones each year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, usually between May and November.