Narda likely to become tropical storm again off Mexico

Mexico City, September 30

Tropical depression Narda is expected to regain tropical storm strength on Monday after passing over the Mexican resort of Puerto Vallarta with heavy rain at the end of a day in which it caused some flooding in Zihuatanejo and other spots farther south along the shore.

The US National Hurricane Centre said the storm was on top of Puerto Vallarta late on Sunday, with maximum sustained winds of 55 kmph after weakening from a tropical storm while moving overland. It was heading to the northwest at 33 kmph and was predicted to begin picking up strength when it emerged over open water on Monday and started hugging the coast while moving towards the Gulf of California over the next few days.

Authorities reported flooded roads and rivers, and the storm also toppled trees and billboards in Acapulco. Local media reported that a 26-year-old man died in Oaxaca state while trying to cross a river in San Pedro Mixtepec.

The Hurricane Centre said Narda could continue to drop 12.5 to 25 centimetres of rainfall along the coast as far north as Nayarit and warned that life-threatening flash floods and mudslides were possible, especially in mountainous terrain.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Lorenzo weakened to Category 3 force in the central Atlantic Ocean after several hours as a Category 5—which made it the strongest storm ever observed so far north and east in the Atlantic basin. The Hurricane Centre said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kmph) during the night. AP