Hurricane Jova Looms Over Mexican Coast
Hurricane Jova is mighty storm threatening to deliver a powerful blow to the southwest coast of Mexico.
A category 3 hurricane 24 hours ago, Jova has weakened to category 2-intensity.
The hurricane was positioned 85 miles from Manzanillo, Mexico this afternoon. Jova has maximum sustained winds of 100 mph winds and is moving north-northeast at 6 mph.
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Hurricane Jova is predicted to make landfall between Barra de Navidad and the resort town Puerto Vallarta around midnight, CBS News wrote.
The center of the storm is expected to cross the coast of Mexico tonight.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), rain bands are already starting to move inland. NHC predicts six to 12 inches of rain over Mexican states: Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Michoacan.
The heaviest rains are most likely to occur in the hilly terrain inland from the coast. Flash flooding, mudslides and destructive winds pose the biggest threat to locals.
Hurricane force winds only extend 15 miles from the storm’s center, limiting the region affected.
Meteorologist Rob White wrote on his blog, “The water pile up and storm surge will be the most severe along the coast from near Estrcho and Barra de Navidad on Northwestward along the coast toward the point where the center is forecast to come ashore. In particular, the bays near Melaque and La Manzanillo can expect high water levels and adjacent coastal flooding later today.”
AccuWeather, calling Jova “a disaster in the making”, describes a worst case scenario for Manzanillo:
“If the center of Hurricane Jova rolls in just north of Manzanillo, powerful west to southwesterly winds will cause huge waves and ocean water to be funneled into and pile-up in harbor areas."
Manzanillo is Mexico’s largest port with a population of 130,000.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Punta San Telmo northward to Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.
