MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Hurricane Pamela slammed into the western Mexican state of Sinaloa as a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, before losing some force and being downgraded to a tropical storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) and local authorities said.
Sinaloa is the country’s top grower of corn, Mexico’s staple grain, as well as a major producer of tomatoes and other fruits that figure prominently in the country’s agricultural exports to the United States.
The NHC’s latest advisory placed Pamela about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north-northeast of the major Sinaloa beach resort of Mazatlan and said the tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 kph).
Additional “rapid weakening” is forecast as the center of Pamela moves farther inland, said the NHC.
Through Thursday, the storm is forecast to produce 4 to 8 inches (10-20cm) of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 12 inches (30 cm), across Sinaloa and western Durango state and northern Nayarit state, which could trigger significant and life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.
The NHC said that across portions of central Texas and southeastern Oklahoma 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated maximum totals of 8 inches, were expected, which could cause considerable flash and urban flooding.
In preparation of the heavy rains and winds, Mexican authorities said that 40 temporary shelters were opened in Sinaloa.
Swells generated by Pamela are expected to affect portions of the southern Baja California peninsula, and southwestern and west-central mainland Mexico throughout Thursday, likely producing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” added the NHC.
Before reaching Sinaloa, Pamela passed near the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, home to key tourist destinations such as Los Cabos, where no damage was reported.
Last year, Sinaloa alone produced more than 380,000 tonnes of tomatoes, or nearly a fifth of national output and overwhelmingly destined for export, according to government data.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez and Anthony Esposito; Editing by Sandra Maler)
