MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Trudy lashed parts of Mexico’s Pacific coast with heavy rain and strong winds Sunday but the storm was forecast to weaken rapidly and authorities discontinued further warnings for the country's coast.
The Category 2 storm had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) and was moving northwest at 6 mph (9 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
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Trudy’s center was expected to remain near the Mexican coast through Sunday evening before passing south of the Baja California Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday.
The hurricane center said that Trudy was expected to weaken rapidly later Sunday but “interests in southwestern and west-central Mexico, as well as Baja California Sur, should continue to monitor” its progress.
Earlier, the Mexican navy urged mariners and coastal residents to exercise extreme caution, citing high waves, heavy rain and the risk of rising rivers, flooding and landslides.
Authorities in Colima said the risks remained low but warned that heavy rainfall could cause damage because successive storms had already saturated the ground along the Pacific coast.
Trudy was expected to bring 4-8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain through the weekend, with isolated totals of around 12 inches (30 centimeters) along and near the coast in Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco. The hurricane center warned of potentially life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.
Also in the Pacific, Typhoon Champi was moving into the Philippine Sea after passing close to Guam ’s southern tip, packing sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph). By late Sunday, it was 345 miles (555 kilometers) west of Guam and moving west-northwest at 14 mph (22.5 kph), according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
Champi was forecast to weaken before potentially strengthening into a Category 5 typhoon by Monday evening, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said.
All tropical cyclone watches and warnings for Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan had been canceled.
The governors of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands requested emergency disaster declarations on Friday.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Guam authorizing FEMA to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts. FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance was available for the territory of Guam to supplement local response efforts following Typhoon Champi.
Airports, harbors and some health facilities in the territories were closed. Relief supplies were unlikely to reach the islands for three to five days, according to Saturday updates from FEMA.
The territories are still recovering from super typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, which struck in April and July, respectively.
