Hurricane Trudy strengthens as Mexico prepares for coastal impact

Hurricane Trudy strengthened over the eastern Pacific as it moved toward southwestern and west-central Mexico. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph late Thursday and was expected to become a major hurricane before approaching the coast during the weekend.

At the latest widely reported advisory, Trudy was about 230 miles southwest of Acapulco and moving north-northwest at 7 mph. Mexico issued a hurricane watch for part of its Pacific coastline. Forecasts can shift, so residents should use current instructions from Mexico’s civil-protection and meteorological authorities rather than rely on an earlier track point.

The centre warned that Colima and Jalisco could receive four to eight inches of rain through the weekend. Heavy rainfall can cause flash flooding and landslides well away from the storm’s centre, while wind and surf impacts depend on the final track and intensity.

Satellite imagery had already shown Trudy developing near Hurricane Simon earlier in the week. The two systems are distinct, and the current concern is Trudy’s approach to land. Worldbrief will treat changes in watches, intensity and projected landfall as forecast updates, not as confirmed damage before authorities report it.