Willa weakens as storm crosses Mexico
Cat. 3 storm heads for resort area
MAZATLAN, Mexico — Hurricane Willa began losing power overnight after roaring over a stretch of beach towns, fishing villages and farms on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Sinaloa state as a Category 3 storm.
Damage assessments were scanty during the night because of darkness and poor communications, but federal officials said power had been knocked out in some spots and there were early reports of flimsy structures with tin roofs sustaining damage.
Before hitting the mainland near Isla del Bosque with 120 mph winds Tuesday night, Willa swept over an offshore penal colony about 60 miles out in the Pacific. Authorities declined to comment on precautions that were taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of inmates was a priority.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm’s forward movement had sped up to 17 mph late Tuesday and it was expected to rapidly weaken. It warned, however, that the storm could still cause heavy rains in portions of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa states, with flash flooding and landslides possible in mountainous areas.
Willa came ashore about 50 miles southeast of Mazatlan, a resort city that is home to highrise hotels and about 500,000 people, including many U.S. and Canadian expatriates.
Although hotels, restaurants and stores were boarded over, people ventured onto Mazatlan’s coastal boulevard to watch a spectacular sunset as the hurricane obscured the sky to the south.
Alberto Hernandez, a hotel worker in the town of Teacapan, expressed confidence before it hit that the building would hold up.