Hurricane Orlene barrelled toward Mexico's southwestern coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm and is expected to dump torrential rains even as it is forecast to weaken in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Orlene, which is packing maximum sustained winds near 205km/h with higher gusts, is projected to pass near or over Mexico's Islas Marias tonight or tomorrow morning, the Miami-based NHC said in its latest public advisory.
"Orlene has likely peaked in intensity," said the NHC.
Despite forecast weakening, the storm is seen reaching mainland Mexico's coast as a hurricane tomorrow.
"After landfall, rapid weakening is expected and the low-level centre should dissipate over the mountainous terrain of southwestern Mexico in 60-72 hours," said the NHC, adding that torrential rains could lead to flash flooding, as well as possible landslides in areas of rugged terrain.
Islas Marias could see 15 to 25cm of rain, the Mexican states of Nayarit and Sinaloa 7-16cm, with local amounts of up to 25cm, and Jalisco and Colima some 2-7cm, with isolated areas of as much as 12cm.
The storm was currently located 152km southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.
Mexico's civil protection agency announced on Twitter the closure of ports in Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima.
