Vance No Longer a Hurricane but as a Tropical Storm Still Threatens Mexico's Pacific Coast

People in several western Mexican states are being told to watch for heavy rain and possible flash flooding, even though Vance is no longer a hurricane. The storm was a Category 2 hurricane as of Friday and has been slowly losing strength since. On Sunday it was a tropical storm off Mexico's southwest Pacific coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Vance was still expected to drop heavy rain on Colima, Nayarit and Sinaloa, along with parts of Michoacan, Jalisco and Durango. [1] [2] [3]

The hurricane center placed the storm about 315 miles (510 kilometers) west-southwest of Acapulco, or about 285 miles (455 kilometers) south of Manzanillo. Its top sustained winds were 70 mph (110 kph). Vance was heading northwest and was expected to turn north over the next few days. Forecasters said 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain could cause flooding and mudslides, especially on steep ground, and a few places could see as much as 7 inches (17 centimeters). [1] [2]

Farther out, Tropical Storm Olana formed in the central Pacific, where the hurricane center said it posed no threat to land. Olana had top sustained winds of 45 mph (65 kph) and was about 580 miles (935 kilometers) west-southwest of Johnston Island, a central Pacific atoll. The reports describe this Pacific hurricane season as intense, with storms forming one after another near Hawaii and Mexico, and tie the unusual weather to El Niño conditions made worse by global warming. [1] [2]