Hurricane Simon weakens to Category 3 off Mexico

Simon weakened to Category 3 but continued to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Mexico's Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center said on the evening of October 11.

The bulletin for midnight UTC on October 12, or 6 p.m. local time, put maximum sustained winds at 125 mph, or 205 km/h. The centre was about 50 miles, or 80 kilometres, south of Cabo Corrientes, moving northwest at roughly 5 mph.

Further weakening was forecast, but Simon was still expected to remain a strong hurricane as it passed near the coast. Its centre was forecast to move farther offshore on Monday and Tuesday. The lower category did not mark an end to dangerous weather.

CBS earlier reported that Jalisco authorities had suspended Monday classes in 22 coastal municipalities and begun evacuating people from vulnerable areas. Morning reports of Category 4 strength and higher winds describe an earlier stage of the hurricane.