Category 3 Hurricane Orlene is rapidly intensifying and approaching western Mexico, where it is expected to cause life-threatening flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, was heading north at 5 mph on Sunday morning about 205 miles south of Las Islas Marias, Mexico, the center said.
Orlene is projected to reach the coast of mainland Mexico on Monday or Monday night, making landfall just south of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, where life-threatening flash flooding is a concern, according to Mexico’s CONAGUA Agency.
Hurricane conditions are expected by Sunday night at Islas Marias, with tropical storm conditions beginning earlier in the day.
Orlene’s wind speed increased 35 mph in a 12-hour period, forecasters said.
“Additional strengthening is forecast through this morning, followed by weakening beginning later today and continuing through landfall,” the hurricane center said early Sunday.
The storm is expected to produce heavy downpours, which could lead to life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides in western Mexico. Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa could see nearly six inches of rain from Sunday through Monday.
Strong winds between 37 and 43 mph and waves 2 to 4 meters high are also a threat.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the Islas Marías and the coast of mainland Mexico from San Blas to Mazatlán. A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas and from Mazatlán to Bahía Tempehuaya, including the city of Puerto Vallarta.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Playa Perula to San Blas. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of mainland Mexico from Manzanillo to Playa Perula.
Residents in the path of the hurricane are advised to take extreme precautions due to the potential for life-threatening flooding, winds and rip currents.
Orlene is headed toward Mexico just weeks after Hurricane Kay made landfall in Mexico, along the west coast of the central Baja California peninsula, as a Category 1 hurricane.