Late on Sunday, Hurricane Priscilla was intensifying in the Pacific Ocean, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds that posed a threat to the coastal regions of southwest Mexico.
The US National Hurricane Center in Miami reported that Priscilla had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph and was moving north-northwest at 3 mph.
The hurricane was located approximately 260 miles south-southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico, and around 450 miles south-southwest of Baja California.
Coastal regions in southwestern Mexico were experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds, increasing the risk of flash flooding, according to the center.
Priscilla was also creating ocean swells that could lead to hazardous surf and rip currents in southwestern and western Mexico as well as southern Baja California.
Tropical storm watches were issued for parts of the southwestern coast of Mexico, stretching from Punta San Telmo to Punta Mita, as tropical storm conditions were anticipated on Sunday and Monday.
Rainfall could reach up to 6 inches in parts of Guerrero, MichoacĂĄn, Colima, and Jalisco.
Meanwhile, another storm named Octave, located far from Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, was upgraded to hurricane status on Sunday but is not expected to make landfall, with no coastal watches or warnings issued.
Octave’s peak winds were noted at 85 mph and it is predicted to gradually weaken on Monday.