Hurricane Simon: Category 3 Storm Headed Toward Same Area Ravaged By Hurricane Odile

Only weeks after Hurricane Odile passed up the spine of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, another hurricane is expected to plow into the same areas by Wednesday. Former Tropical Storm Simon turned into a “major hurricane” about 350 miles offshore and is expected to turn toward land in the coming days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday.

Mexico’s National Meterological Service (Conagua) warned residents of Baja California Sur, the state at the southern end of Baja, and parts of northwestern Mexico across the Gulf of California from it to prepare for the brunt of the storm, which touched Category 3 Friday overnight with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

“The general population in these states and maritime activity in the vicinity of the system to maintain precaution and comply with recommendations [from civil-protection authorities],” Conagua said Saturday.

U.S. hurricane trackers expect the storm to begin veering eastward by early Monday. The heart of the storm could make landfall sometime Wednesday about 300 miles north of Mexico’s sunny resort corridor of Los Cabos, the most heavily populated area of the southern peninsula. The storm’s wide pattern could throw high winds and heavy rain at the economically important resort corridor as hotels and neighborhoods are still cleaning up from Odile’s wrath.

Hurricane Odile made landfall overnight on Sept. 14, ravaging towns and sending tourists fleeing Los Cabos. The storm killed 15 people and causing $224 million in damages to homes, hotels, roads and electricity infrastructure, according to Mexico’s AMIS insurers association.